Getting Things Rolling
by Trahern
Summary: Kim and Shego are thrown together by a former Go City supervillain, provoking a change in their relationship. Kigo. Set after Graduation.
1. Chapter 1: Thinking with Glows

Shego's eyebrow twitched into a frown as she regained consciousness. The other brow quickly joined it as her waking mind realised she was not where she had lain herself down to sleep. It felt like she was lying on someone's kitchen floor.

Her eyes snapped open as that perception sank in, but what felt suspiciously like a hangover made its presence known as she tried to rise. Had she enjoyed herself too much last night? She didn't usually... no, she had finished her holiday and Middleton had been her first stop on the way back to New York. She'd arrived late, taken a room in one of the nicer hotels and gone to bed.

Apparently something had happened since then.

Finding the nearest wall, she crawled her way up it until she was on her feet. Her head throbbed and her vision was blurry, so at first all she could make out was a dark room with a weak yellow light coming from high above. As her eyes focused, she could tell the smooth white panelling on the floor in fact covered the entire room, which seemed to measure about fifteen by thirty feet. The individual panels were not seperated by grout, which made her uneasy. She tapped at the one she was leaning against with a fingernail; it was familiar, but she couldn't place where she'd seen it before. Regardless, she knew a trap when she was in one.

Someone else was there with her, also dressed for bed. She didn't need the tangled mop of red hair to identify who it was. Shego croaked and coughed before she could force any words up her throat. "Time to wake up, princess." No response. "Princess!" she called with more volume with no better result. Edging along the wall, she approached the girl before nudging her with her foot. "Kimmie?"

A beep sounded from beyond the slit in the other wall.

Shego stumbled across the width of the room to see a narrower room beyond this one. One end housed humming computer equipment. The screen was filled by a timer that was counting down from just under thirty minutes. The opposite end housed a door which was clearly marked as the exit. Directly across from the slit was a desk. The green girl could make out her catsuit draped across one end, and Kim's mission outfit across the other. In between, a desk lamp shone down on the surface... and what looked like a nine by twelve picture frame. There was no image, only a typewritten note.

Shego squinted as she read it, then her eyes widened in shock. "No way!" she breathed. Several emotions struggled for dominance across her features until she clamped down on them all. She glanced back at the timer before returning to Kim and dropping on all fours. Rolling the teenager onto her back, she started slapping her face and insisting she wake up with renewed urgency.

The redhead was not pleased to be so rudely woken, only to open her eyes to the sight of her archfoe.

"Wh... Sh-go? ...Shego!" She suddenly tried to scramble away, but the back of her head came into contact with the wall with quite a thump and she groaned.

"Yeah, not the smartest thing to do after being gassed, pumpkin," Shego pointed out.

"Is that what this is?" Kim moaned, scrubbing at her face with her palms.

"Well, I don't remember drinking until I blacked out, and I'm guessing you don't even know what that's like, so..."

One hand covering an eye, Kim looked at Shego's dark green silk attire with the other. "What are you wearing?"

"Pyjamas. Better than _your_ bedroom attire," the green girl gestured at the teenager's T-shirt and sweatpants. "We were knocked out and brought here, and now we've got twenty-nine minutes to get out of the trap. We need to talk."

"Shego... shouldn't we be trying to escape instead of having a heart-to-heart?"

"No, you don't get it, that's what I'm talking about. We _have_ to talk." Kim looked at her like she'd gone crazy. "Ugh... go look through that," Shego told her, pointing at the slit in the wall above Kim's head.

Groaning as her head complained at the fresh movement, Kim eased herself around to see the light coming through the wall above her. Struggling to her feet, she looked through the slit and took in the scene. "You two really should talk," she read aloud from the note on the desk. She looked back to Shego, who had eased herself into a sitting position across from her. "The Motivator?"

"Deceptively positive, isn't it?" Shego asked her with a crooked smile. "Rolls off the tongue easier than 'manipulator,' too. He also thought it represented his technological bent... the first Space Schisms movie? The red robot malfunctioned because of a bad motivator."

Kim slid back down the wall and sat facing the woman. "Another Go City supervillain? Sounds as silly as the Mathter."

"Oh, you ran into him, too, huh? Trust me; him, Aviarius... nothing compared to this guy."

"What is he, a mind control villain?"

"More of a persuader. You have to be suicidal for him to convince you to jump in front of a train or set yourself on fire... that's pretty much the problem. People can suck beyond belief and the Motivator exploits that. I mean, he's caused positive things too, but there's always a cost that someone has to pay."

Kim mulled over the possibilities. "I guess that's potentially dangerous..."

Shego's expression was surprisingly forthright. "Kimmie... I have a history with this guy. He was _my_ nemesis when I was a hero. You know I was the only one in Team Go with a brain. He's the villain with the brain. Mad scientists and psychotics want to take over or destroy something, but Motivator prefers the personal touch."

"I dunno... what's the worst thing he could do?" Kim asked with a smirk, not resisting the opportunity to put down Shego.

"He can go online and convince a guy watching kiddie porn to start abusing his own kids."

Kim's shock was obvious. "W-what?"

"Then he can mess with the wife's head so that when she walks in on it a few months later, she _joins in_," Shego added, her sneer a cynical parody of the one Kim had just lost. Watching the shock on the redhead's face was delicious. "Careful Kimmie, if you get any paler someone might mistake you for me."

"He... he really did that?"

Shego shrugged. "Worst thing he ever did, technically... as far as I'm aware."

"...Why!"

"Y'know, I could explain his motives, his ethics, give you his background... but we're talking about the same guy who currently _has us in a deadly trap_!"

Kim took a deep breath. "Okay... what's the sitch?"

Shego crossed her arms. "I triggered the voice-activated timer trying to wake you up, so there's microphones in here. That and the clue means the computer is listening, to both of us. There's probably even keywords it's waiting for, and the programming will be sophisticated enough to understand context." The woman's disgruntlement was obvious as she continued. "We need to have a conversation. For half an hour."

"Um... and if we fail?" Kiim asked.

"Most likely, this wall I'm leaning against will end up on your side of the room and crush us to death."

"Like the trash-crusher scene." Kim wasn't a fan of science fiction, but her association with Ron meant she had been exposed to most of the classics... and the story of that movie could have worked without the sci-fi angle.

"Yup. If it comes to that, I suggest we put our hands through the slit so they have a way to identify our bodies."

The redhead sighed. "No. You were right, we're just going to have to talk."

"Really? Because I could go either way."

The corner of Kim's mouth tweaked upward, despite the situation. "Cheap shot, Shego. We both know you're a survivor. You seriously think that if we just sit here talking, and say all the right things, the countdown stops and a secret door will open?"

"Oh, it won't stop. We're stuck with the allotted time, no matter what. Giving us a chance to escape is a given, but this is his equivelant of telling us his plan while we're languishing in his dungeon."

"Some dungeon," Kim admitted, looking about the room.

"Is this stuff what I think it is?" Shego asked, tapping at the panel on which she sat.

"If you think it's the superalloy they use to make the new spacecraft, like the latest Kepler, I think you're right. So you can't blow us out of here, can you?"

Shego scowled. "I bet it would ricochet, again like the damn trash-crusher." She watched the girl look up to the ceiling.

"What's with the mood lighting?"

"Haven't figured that bit out, yet."

"The Motivator... he put all this together himself?"

"Must have." A puase. "Usually did."

"So... why _is_ the ceiling so high? Why indirect, yellow light? I mean, if nothing in here is random..."

"He obviously doesn't want us reaching the ceiling. The light fixture could provide a means of escap-" Shego's eyes widened in realisation as she looked back to the ceiling itself. "Oh, he wouldn't. He wouldn't put me in here with you and..."

"What?"

"What kind of sound is that light making, to you?"

Kim listened a moment. "I'm not sure, but I know it's not a fluorescant light."

Furious now, Shego rose to her feet, one hand bursting into green flame. Then she declared, "Son of a bitch!" and let her signature power fade. "He'll have boobytrapped the damn thing just like he must have boobytrapped the computer. I can't risk blasting it! Damn!"

"What's the big deal with the light?" Kim asked.

"I told you he had a technical bent," Shego growled. "It might interest you to know that it was the Motivator who invented the truth ray."


	2. Chapter 2: Motivations

Both girls scrutinized the light source. A panel in the ceiling had been lowered about a foot down from its neighbours, and the yellow glow shone from above it. Only the ceiling itself was being hit by direct light, subduing the illumination for the rest of the room.

"We're not being hit by an actual beam..." Kim thought aloud.

"If I give you a boost, do you think you could reach that?"

"My balance is back, so probably."

Together, the girls got to their feet. Shego walked to the middle of the room, interlaced her fingers and nodded at Kim. The redhead launched herself at the brunette, who redirected her momentum upward with a great shove. Kim ricocheted off the wall and managed to grab the edge of the lowered ceiling panel on the rebound. To her surprise, it barely shifted in response to her added weight. Pulling herself up for a better look, she first saw the panel was attached to the ceiling by thick telescopic pistons at each corner. The source of the noise was the truth ray in the ceiling proper, out of sight, firing downward with a constant beam.

"It's being fired into some kind of round, convex mirror," Kim called down. "It's opaque, diffusing the light as it reflects it. It's actually kinda pretty." Her arms were starting to burn, so she went back to hanging and swung back and forth before dropping, rolling when she reached the floor.

"I've never come across _that_ before," Shego told her. "What's the point?"

Kim pondered a moment. "Hmm... what's your favourite colour?"

Shego opened her mouth, paused, then said, "Blue," before blinking in surprise.

"Your hair does... _not_ reach all the way down to your backside."

"The only hair _you've_ got is a... six inch mohawk."

"You are very smart, and look good in this light!" Kim declared in a familiar and unsettling voice.

"Hey!"

The heroine shrugged in apology. "Do you feel it too?"

"The urge to stop talking before telling the lie. It's not a truth ray..."

"...It's an honesty room!"

"Great," Shego groaned, "Just what I need, an artificial conscience... what are you looking at?" Kim was staring at her, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"After we defeated Electronique, what was it you couldn't tell me while you're evil?"

A look of dismay flitted across Shego's face, followed immediately by anger at the slip. "I _honestly __**don't**_ want to talk about it," she growled through clenched teeth.

"Well, according to you we have to talk about something," Kim reminded her as she resumed her former seat. She wasn't about to admit it, but the physical activity had made her a little nauseous. Glaring, Shego gradually followed suit as Kim added, "And I'm guessing it shouldn't be about the weather."

"Maybe he's just annoyed that he's been replaced," Shego muttered as she settled her considerable amount of hair to one side. "Way to even the score..."

"If this trap is for you, I'm only along for the ride because of how I relate to you," the redhead reasoned. "Let's talk about that."

"What, you're gonna study to be a shrink in college, now?"

"Psychology, yes. And international law."

Shego considered the combination a moment before sneering in honest disgust. "You're going to become a politician? I take it back, your mind _is_ sick and wrong."

"I don't want to be a politician, I want to _work_ with them. It would be a nice change to be able to talk to powerful people with big egos and save the world in ways that don't involve a fistfight."

"You'll get frustrated and bored," the green girl opined as she crossed her arms over her stomach, "And when you do, I'll be there to say I said so... while I'm smacking you down because you're out of practice."

Kim opened her mouth to retort, but realised she was about to admit her nemesis might be right.

"Fine, tell me about the Motivator," Kim suggested. "I might be able to help save our lives if I understand him better. He must be crazy to do the stuff you say he does."

"He's not crazy. He's stark raving sane." Shego waved vaguely in Kim's direction. "You see the world in a _nauseatingly_ positive way. Your upbringing, your preconceptions, your lack of experience. They're like filters in your mind through which you see the world."

Kim nodded, having read about this point of view before. "And the Motivator?"

"He sees the world the way it really is. No filters. No illusions about society or morality. The ultimate nihilist." Shego sighed. "He just wanted to improve the world, at first. Do his part to see justice done. Help people to become better than they are..." Kim stared as her archfoe's voice softened and expression mellowed for a moment, and wondered if this was personal; but when Shego spoke again, the frown and hard edge to her voice were back. "But shit always rolls downhill. He soon learned that it couldn't be done directly, that he had to mess with people's heads to get results. You'd probably say that's when his villainous streak started. It became as much about showing people how far they could fall, as it was about how high they could climb."

"How does that translate into encouraging child abuse?"

"Why just look at it when you can do it yourself? The father was a perv for watching that stuff in the first place; Motivator just showed him how much of a perv he really was." Shego watched Kim try to digest this point of view, and felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. "Don't think about it too much," she said with a surprising lack of sarcasm, "You just don't have it in you to wrap your mind around it without spraining something."

"And you do?" Kim asked heatedly.

Shego's twisted smirk returned. "I'm older, wiser, and evil. I don't like child abuse any more than you do, but at least I can understand the motivations behind it."

Kim's chin drooped. "You shouldn't have to..."

"Don't bother, miss priss. The world is the way it is, not the way you or anyone else thinks it should be. I'd rather deal with the real world than pretend it's something it's not." Shego watched Kim shake her head stubbornly, and tried a different tack. "What's the statistic these days, one in six kids, abused? One in five? And those are just the reported cases. How many abusers do you think go unpunished because, for whatever reason, the victims never speak up?" The redhead looked up at her with widening eyes. "More than you think," Shego answered her own question, then snorted. "Probably a_ lot _more than _you_ think."

"Shego..." Kim almost stammered in a fresh bout of moral dread, "Were you..."

"What, me? No, I'm just trying to make my point. His point. Whatever." Shego watched Kim try to absorb what she had said. As the silence began to drag on, Shego piped up again. "The quiet could kill us, Kimmie. Penny for your thoughts."

The heroine shuddered at voicing the question, but she had to know. "What happened to the kids?"

"Once the mother had joined in, things escalated quickly, and one of them blabbed. Their entire experience lasted less than a year. If Motivator hadn't moved things along, it would have dragged out for their entire childhood."

"He couldn't know that for sure," Kim complained.

"He can. He does. That's exactly what he does, and he's very good at it."

Kim recognised that tone of voice again. "You admire him."

"I..." Shego stopped short and directed a glance upward with an exasperated sigh. Or was she merely rolling her eyes? "I admire his point of view and his ability, but not always what he does with it. Or did. There hadn't been anything more from him after I left Go City. He believed in maintaining the balance, I think. But I guess he's been keeping tabs on me ever since... I don't know why he'd do any of this, though," she admitted, gesturing around the room.

_Catharsis,_ Kim thought, then suddenly asked, "What was your relationship with him?"

Shego blinked in surprise, then looked away with a frown. The infuriating teenager had done it again! For a moment she considered the possibility that her lack of self-control was itself an effect of the "honesty room" as Kim had called it. With another sigh, she closed her eyes before she began, already suspecting that this was at least one of the things she was supposed to talk about.

"He was my physical inferior, and you know I'm all about the physical," she began, "But mentally he had me pegged from the start. I envied his willpower, his intelligence, his patience... his ability to look the dreadful truth in the eye and do something about it. More than once, I thought I had him, only to discover I was just a part of his overall plan. But he never attacked me that way directly. When I began to feel a grudging respect for him, I first worried that he was manipulating me into thinking that way... but from him, it was more like... well, honesty." She shrugged at the room they were in. "He forced me to get smarter, to out-think him. When I did finally capture him, he was pleased. Proud, even. When we were face to face, he didn't speak, didn't even try. He just..." she mimed a zipper across her lips, turned the imaginary key and threw it away. "I knocked him out..." She pointed a finger upward and ignited it for just a moment, "And dragged him back to Go Tower."

Curiosity drove Shego to open her eyes again. Kim's expression was attentive, but the green girl could see the question burning in her eyes. "He didn't turn me evil, Kimmie," Shego told her, "But he knew what I was going through. Until then, he'd been very careful not to interfere-"

"How could he not?" Kim interrupted. "The things you must have seen because of him..."

Shego shook her head. "I always chose to get involved." She smirked. "Just like you always chose to interfere in Dr. D's plans. Motivator showed me nothing more than what I was already learning on my own: that the world is grey, not black and white like my brothers, like you, want to believe."

"I know there are shades of grey," Kim pointed out with a frown.

"You're still learning," Shego corrected. "Every time you come across a new shade, you'll integrate it into your scale between black and white... and come to your own conclusions about how dark the world really is."

Now Kim grinned. "Is that you not interfering with my learning curve?"

"It's called growing up, and I'm not your mother," Shego grumbled, but smirked back.

Another silent moment, both of them considering the respect they'd developed for each other over the last few years.

"You must have thought I was just some snotty brat the first time I showed up," Kim started.

"Escaping the sharks earned you points," Shego shrugged, "And when we fought, you surprised me by holding your own."

"Holding my own? I seem to recall kicking your backside more than once."

"And I yours." The villainess didn't even wince at _that_ honest admission.

"Then why did I always foil your plans?"

"Uh uh, princess. First off, not my plans. Second, I'm talking about the fighting itself, not _why_ we fight. Let's face it, Drakken's plans foiled themselves half the time. But when you do your crime-fighting thing, _I'm_ the biggest threat you face."

"Ferociously egotistical, don't you think?"

"Not if it's true."

Kim watched Shego's gradually widening grin for as long as she could, but had to turn away to try and hide the crooked end of her smirk. "I suppose you might be right."

"Damn straight." Shego obviously wasn't fooled. Kim looked back and sighed as the green girl laughed before continuing. "And for the first couple of years, I did hate you for never giving me a clear victory, despite being nothing more than another of the..." Shego searched for the right word, "Unempowered. Like Motivator, you pushed me to improve myself." She began to throttle the neck of the air in front of her. "And even as I got stronger, I still couldn't kill the itty bitty do-goody cheerleader!" she snarled in amused complaint.

"Itty bitty?" Kim complained in a near-whine.

"You are and you know it."

"You could be... oh, who am I kidding." Shego would never be nice just because she _could_ be.

"Yourself. But hey, you think it's easy matching your moves with these?" Shego asked, giving her own (fuller) breasts a squeeze.

"But your body's practically _made_ of curves! They suit you! What happens when I'm thirty, and these are still barely Bs?" Kim watched as Shego shook her head, face in hand. "What would _Miss_ Go say?" she asked slyly.

Shego looked up from the hand, then smiled. "That you'll still have plenty going on the physical front... ooh, sorry, bad word choice." Kim pouted at the misuse of the green girl's "nice" voice. The pout was not of puppy dog proportions, but under the circumstances, it was enough. "Look, you want the big sister version?"

"The _nice_ big sister version."

"Fine." Shego didn't put much effort into her tone. "You're lucky it's taking so long for you to fill out. The sooner they bloom, the sooner they flop. Okay, sweetie?"

"But what if they don't-"

"You're still a damn teenager, Kimmie!" Shego all but yelled, then more quietly, "Give it time." And then muttered, "Marilyn Monroe was made of curves, and she didn't have my muscle tone..."

"Wait..." Kim realised something, "Big sister... you heard me say that? Back when-"

"Bueno Nacho isn't that big, Kimmie. It was nice to hear. I mean... _she_ liked it. Ugh." Shego's face went back into her hand.

Kim voiced her sympathy. "Shego... I know she wasn't the real you... or that she was just a part of you, that's usually buried under the temper and the attitude. And I admit it was majorly wierd at first, but... I had fun that weekend. I don't expect you to admit the same, but knowing you remember it... that's enough."

"Yeah, I remember," Shego admitted. "And I won't deny I had a What If moment when it was all over. The photos..." Another slip, another frown.

"Oh. Oh! You kept the ones from the photo booth?" That was a pleasant surprise.

Shego shook her head. "I burned them. But... not right away." She frowned at Kim as if working something out. "We don't need to be friends. Your fool needs you, mine needs me. When Drakken finishes rationalizing saving the world, he'll get back to planning how to dominate it. Then you and I can get back to fighting, like it should be."

The redhead was actually disappointed by that statement. "We don't have to if-"

"Kimmie." No sarcasm, no rancour; Shego was being completely serious. "Do we really communicate better, any other way?"

Kim considered it. "Maybe that's why we're here. To find a new way." She watched Shego raise a skeptical eyebrow at the thought, though she chose not to respond. "While we're on the subject, I have a confession of my own. The thing with the diablo toys..."

"You said you hated me and tried to kill me," Shego expositioned when Kim faltered. She was surprised when Kim didn't immediately try to deny the second part. She watched as the girl fidgeted, currently unable to look at her conversational companion.

"I used to tell myself you'd started it. That whole sitch was different. In the restaurant... no banter, no putdowns, you just tried to ambush me from behind. The whole fight felt a lot more serious."

"I was frustrated," Shego explained. "My contract with Drakken was nearly up, and that time he wouldn't even tell me what his stupid plan was. Bugged the hell out of me. So when you showed up, looking sexier than you ever have before, I took out my frustration on a more familiar source. Probably why I was so sloppy, too," she muttered under her breath.

Kim took a moment to digest that. "And at BNHQ?"

"Letting your syntho-boytoy take you down was intentional. I just had to rile you up first. Of course, I wasn't expecting the Tron suit..."

"Tron?"

"Oh come on, you don't know Tron? It's a cult classic! Jeff Bridges?"

The name, Kim recognised. "I liked him in that movie where he plays psychiatrist to an alien."

"Life inside computers? White outfits with glowing lines of colour? Fighting with frizbees? Lightcycle races!"

"It rings a bell."

Shego gave up. "The goof went down right after you did. The fact that you were both out cold is why you got to wake up at all. It would have been smarter to kill you, but the same could be said a hundred times over by then."

"Why didn't you?" Kim asked. "We weren't tied up anywhere near the action. Drakken obviously didn't intend to gloat, for once. He was taking it more seriously than ever, and you just left us there, with Rufus _and_ my backpack."

Shego stared straight into the redhead's eyes. "Kimmie... if I ever kill you, you'll be awake, on your feet and able to defend yourself when it happens."

"You've tried to kill me other ways, plenty of times."

"What's your point?"

Kim frowned at Shego impatiently. "If we duked it out here and now, once and for all, what do you think would happen?"

"On an equal footing, with no distractions? We'd fight until the room kills us, unless I kill you first."

"You really think so?"

Kim's incredulous tone had Shego on her feet. "You don't? Even though I've got _this_?" She ignited the glow around her hands.

"You've had that long before we started fighting," Kim pointed out, "And I'm still here."

The villainous growled and fell into a crouch. "Try me now, princess."

"I'm not going to fight you, Shego," Kim told her, though her body had tensed, ready to move; something Shego could no doubt read. "Not now, not like this."

"Then I guess you'll be starting on the defensive!" Shego cried before tossing a green blast right at her.


	3. Chapter 3: A Different League

Kim rolled to her left and came up into a defensive crouch as the energy hit the wall against which she had been leaning, bounced to the floor and then back up in Shego's direction. The green girl quickly side-stepped, facing her archfoe across the length of the room, as the nebulous green mass continued its journey between them; to the opposite wall, ceiling, and back across once more, losing energy and momentum with each impact until it dissipated completely.

"Stop it, Shego!" Kim commanded. "You're going to get us killed!"

"Not this time," Shego growled, any nickname she might have had for Kim suddenly, disturbingly absent. The redhead took an involuntary step backward at the sudden and deadly earnest in the Shego's eyes, something she had only seen a couple of times before. "You think you're all grown up now because you reached a magic number, but I still have things to teach you."

Suddenly the villainess let off a series of alternating bolts across the room toward her enemy. The first pair were angled similiar to the first, bouncing off all surfaces in Kim's direction. The next pair were for the walls only, criss-crossing each other and catching up fast with their predecessors. Shego sent a final two-handed bolt straight down the middle of the room... and charged in right after it.

Kim jumped, ducked and weaved through the glowing barrage only to have the wind knocked out of her by Shego's knee. She used her physical reaction to launch a kick at the back of her opponent's other knee, but the green girl had already shifted her balance and thrust forward against the girl's shoulders, throwing Kim further back... and into the path of the last rebounding bolt that slammed into the small of her back. The combined momentum from opposite directions flipped her over to fall on her face with a pained grunt.

A flicker of movement through her hair caused her to instinctually flinch back, which she lengthened into a roll to get back on her feet. Shego slammed into her again as she rose, and discovered her back was now to the wall when she impacted against it. She used it as an anchor from which to launch a counterattack, but only managed to force Shego back a few feet.

As the contest continued, Kim found it impossible to gain the upper hand. Usually she could hold her own, though the tactics depended on whether or not Shego was using her glow. This time, Shego wasn't giving her the chance to evade and choose her moment. As blow after blow kept landing, leaving blossoming flowers of pain across her body, worse than ever before, she realised she was in trouble. Shego was ignoring the hits Kim landed on her for the sake of giving as good as she got, and she was holding nothing back this time...

_Not this time._ Fear lanced down Kim's spine. _Shego had been holding back with her powers. Shego had __**always**__ been holding back._

It must have showed on Kim's face, or maybe Shego felt the chill that seeped through the teenager's body. The corner of the green girl's snarl twitched upward and she gave that single, derisive bark of a laugh before coming at her again. Kim didn't have the space to manouvre and was forced to fend her off, thinking, _ She's showing me she's gone easy on me the whole time. Why?_

Block, parry, crack-whap! Kim cried out as she was launched forcefully into the floor. She scrambled sideways instead of away from Shego, fearing another glowing barrage. Instead, her opponent waited for her to get back on her feet. Again, the question of why flashed through Kim's mind. Shego was letting her try to take the offensive now? Her mind raced furiously, her mouth curling into a snarl of its own. Suddenly she jumped back into range and began hammering at Shego's defences, trying to keep her glowing hands occupied until she could land a kick that would open her opponent up further.

As soon as Kim had a firm grip on Shego's forearms, she tried for the kick; but Shego shoved upwards, pulling Kim off-balance, and the move had no force behind it. Then she was back on the floor, facedown at Shego's feet, only to find the villain was waiting for her to rise again. _What's she waiting for? She doesn't play fair! Or is she just rubbing it in?_

Kim nearly broke her nose on the floor as she was thrown back down upon it a third time. She rolled over to glare at Shego and the word tore out of Kim's throat without conscious bidding. "Why!"

"You really need me to spell it out, _princess_?" The nickname dripped scorn like a venemous fang. That riled Kim into pulling her legs up underneath herself and barrelling into the green girl's hips. They tumbled across the floor, but Shego managed to extricate herself from the tangle, place her foot in Kim's belly and kick her across the length of the room. Kim rolled to a stop and saw Shego glaring at her, unmoving. "I've said it before. Even in that battlesuit, you weren't in my league."

Kim struggled to her feet as Shego suddenly started pacing towards her while she spoke. "It's never just about strength or speed, or fancy moves or powers. It's how you use them. How far you'll take them." Kim jumped forward again, trying to surprise Shego before the final step that brought her into range. "You're the only hero that ever matched me," Shego growled as she forced Kim back into the defensive, "The _only_ one. You could be capable of so much more, but you NEVER," parry, "STEP," yank, "UP!" Crack-whap! Kim fell hard on her back. "All the times I've tried to kill you, and you barely ever even cut loose. Not until the moment you _hated_ me."

Those words forced Kim to look up at Shego just as she leapt upon her, the glow of her hands snuffing out as she gripped Kim's wrists so tightly the bones felt like cracking. Kim immediately started trying to buck her off, but the older woman's weight hindered her long enough for Shego to scissor her legs around Kims', denying her the leverage. The redhead was well and truly trapped, her captor ranting in her face as she squirmed for an advantage.

"You've seen me burn through metal bars with these hands. You know I've ripped through stone and steel with these hands! And you never considered the possibility that I was holding back? I even shrank down to go toe-to-toe with the damn rodent, and I enjoyed it! You think you know me? Want me to bare my soul to you?" Kim finally grew still as Shego drew a ragged breath. "Well here it is, Kimmie: _I. Am. You. _The mirror. The flip side of the coin. The yin to your yang. I'm what you would be if _your_ poles were flipped. And tonight, I'm your crucible. Your gom jabbar. I'm your Tyler fucking Durden, scarring you for life."

Shego's hands ignited.

Kim screamed.

Shego watched as the redhead beneath her gave voice to the pain, eyes squeezed shut, wrenching her head from side to side, too struck to renew her efforts to break free. "How does it feel, Kimmie?" she yelled over the teenager's noise. When all she got was another shriek, she rapped the redhead's knuckles against the floor. "I SAID HOW DOES IT FEEL!"

"IT HURTS, IT HURTS! FUCK!" Kim sobbed, the effort to talk causing her to convulse.

"Do you realise that I could take your hands off in an instant?"

"YES!"

"Look at me."

The tears were flowing freely from Kim's eyes as she convulsed again. "PLEASE!"

"LOOK AT ME!" Shego roared.

Kim forced her eyes back open, to look up into the dark green gaze boring into her. Her entire body was shuddering continuously from the effort to focus on Shego. "Do you realise that I was capable of doing this to you whenever I chose," her tormentor intoned, barely voiced as a question.

"Yes," Kim hissed through the pain, even as it threatened to claim her consciousness.

Their eyes remained locked in the near silence that followed. The sensation, the sound and smell of Kim's suffering, the only soundtrack to their new understanding.

Then they both felt something give under Shego's grip. Even as Kim whimpered, she saw something new enter Shego's eyes as her lips twitched... a corner twisting upward.

Kim closed her eyes and turned her head away.

Then the hands were gone, Shego was gone. Kim gasped at the surcease, then flinched involuntarily at the sound of the woman's inarticulate roar. Scrambling back by heel and elbow into the nearest corner, she saw the green girl was at the other end of the room, facing away from her, voicing her fury at the wall as she hammered into it with those glowing fists, to no appreciable effect despite her strength.

A dozen different thoughts clamoured for Kim's attention, but she focused on her wrists. Bizarrely, Shego's hands had protected the skin they had gripped. The arteries and tendons there had been kept safe, but the surrounding flesh was almost black and still smoking. There was definitely tissue missing... Kim hoped it was just skin.

The pounding at the other end of the room had stopped. "And now it will never be the same," Shego muttered, before raising her voice to the ceiling. "Was _that_ the point?"

The room did not respond. Kim, however...

"I don't hate you."

Shego rounded on her, making her flinch. "You think I don't know that? That I don't understand you? I used to _be_ you, for god's sake!" She paused, took a breath, trying to rein her temper in again. "We were closer to winning than ever, I'd gotten under your skin about your synthetic hottie, which then betrayed you. You were hurt, angry, and you lashed out." She made a show of extinquishing the glow before approaching Kim again. She was less than a dozen feet away before Kim jerked back, further into the corner. Shego stopped and sat crosslegged on the spot, her fingers interlaced in her lap.

"I didn't try to kill you," Kim whispered. "Not really."

"I'd have to kill monkey-boy for that to happen, wouldn't I?" Shego sneered automatically, then relented with a shake of her head. "No, I know. You didn't try to kill me, you just didn't care whether or not I died. You launched me into that damn tower, which electrocuted me, then fell on me. Damn if that didn't hurt." She looked Kim in the eye. "How was it for you?"

"W-what?"

"How did it _feel_, Kimmie?" The redhead's face fell when she understood Shego's meaning. "Yeah, that's what I thought. It felt good, didn't it? You enjoyed it; knowing I suffered, that I might well be dead in the wreckage. I'll bet you weren't even relieved when you saw them haul me out and 'cuff me. You just... didn't care anymore." The green girl took a deep breath. "That's how it started for me." Kim looked back up at her, and Shego nodded in confirmation.

"So... now you're grooming me for a life of villainy?"

"Heh. No, princess, you've no reason to follow me down that road." Her expression grew wistful. "You have a good family that loves you; even your brothers come through for you, when it matters. You have friends who really care. No major trauma in your childhood, one of the popular girls at high school... and you're a helper. That's the kind of person you are, and I don't see anyone changing that. Even me."

Kim blinked, not quite comprehending. "That... that didn't sound sarcastic at all."

"Yeah. Surprise," Shego deadpanned. "I guess I've decided to go with the whole honesty thing."

Kim stared at her nemesis for a long, silent moment. "How can you..." she began in a small voice, and faltered.

"...What."

"You're talking to me as if nothing... as if you didn't..."

"Torch you?" Shego finished, a touch of sarcasm returning to her voice.

"Torture me."

Shego's smirk only grew wider. "Because despite the good you always like to see in me these days, I'm not a very nice person. There's a word for it, but it's slipped my mind for the moment."

"Shego..." the redhead whispered.

"Cruel... violent... immoral... tsk, what was it..."

"Please just stop it," Kim asked, her voice now barely louder than a breath.

"Torture tends to last more than twenty seconds, you know."

"STOP IT!" Kim yelled, the plea ending in a sob. More followed as soon as she sucked in another breath, and the tears started flowing again.

Shego opened her mouth, her intention to keep pushing Kim until she got angry enough to fight back instead of cower like a weakling; but as the teenager broke down right in front of her, she was forced to remember more than one occasion when she was younger, in which she had done pretty much the same thing. Except...

She had always been alone.

"I'm... I'm sorry."

Kim looked up at her, incredulous. "What did you say?"

"You heard," Shego muttered uncomfortably, looking away.

Now Kim was angry. "You think that means a damn, coming from you?"

"Coming from me... yeah. Yeah, it does."

Kim tried to blink the tears out of her eyes, confused by the unfamiliar tone in Shego's voice. She stared as the green girl crawled beside her and pull her up into a sitting position. Shego made sure Kim's elbows rested on her knees, keeping the forearms out in the open. With one arm already around the girl's back, she snaked the other across her stomach and... hugged.

Kim was at a loss. "What... what are you doing?"

"I suck at being sorry, okay?" Shego grumbled. "This is the best big sis can do, so just... shut up, or cry, or whatever, and let me do it."

"This... this," Kim repeated, raising her burnt arms, "Doesn't mean much to you at all, does it."

Shego didn't answer at first, trying to predict the reaction to any of the answers she thought to give. In the end, she sighed. "I've made my point."

"Most people don't immolate their audience to make a point."

"We're not most people," Shego pointed out. "Anyway, it's done. It's over."

"...Are we even, now?"

"...Yeah."

Hesitantly, Kim leaned her head on Shego's shoulder. Her tears still ran freely, but the sobbing had ceased. She merely shuddered occasionally as the throbbing pain around her wrists enacted a momentary crescendo.

"I've been having trouble controlling my temper in here," Shego murmured. "Maybe it's the light, or just being trapped in a room designed to kill us. Maybe it's the company." Kim snorted softly, but Shego ignored it. "Maybe it's because I started getting restless again at the end of my vacation." A pause. "I never wanted to say it, but... you know you've gotten better, right?"

"You mean the fighting?" The heroine's voice was much closer to normal, now.

"Powers aside, you're better now than I was four years ago. If it hadn't been for all the practice, if I hadn't pushed every bit as much as you did, you would have been the better fighter tonight."

Kim considered that. "Why _did_ you let me go on the offensive?"

"The villain always has to give the hero a chance, doesn't she?"

"Since when do you play fair?"

"I don't. Doesn't mean I don't have rules, though."

"Oh really," Kim drawled, clearly unconvinced.

"Yeah. Like... I'll steal candy from a baby, but I won't steal a weelchair from a kid that can't walk."

"Oh, really?" Kim repeated, genuinely this time, remembering when Felix's cyber-robotic wheelchair had been stolen by Dr. Drakken and Motor Ed so they could add the technology to their Doom-V. Shego only grunted in response before falling silent again.

Kim had stopped crying, but found herself unwilling to move. "Tell me more about your past," she prompted with a nudge to the woman's shoulder.

"I had noone to hold me when I cried," Shego admitted. Kim felt her tense as soon as the words left her mouth, followed by a vehement, "Dammit!"

"What about your brothers?" Kim pressed.

"Early days," Shego growled after a moment, "When I still gave a damn about what they thought. When I still wanted to be normal again." She struggled with her words a moment more, then changed the subject. "You okay now?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Shego shifted position, and used the arm around Kim's belly to pull her the rest of the way back so she could lean back against the wall, before getting to her feet and pacing slowly back and forth. "I left Go City for college. I took child development for purely selfish reasons, to understand... well, myself. I was a lot more realistic when I came back and rejoined the team. The more I played hero, the more I came to hate it."

"And then, at some point, you stopped caring."

The pacing stopped, and Shego frowned at Kim in contemplation rather than contempt. "My notions of justice were radically different from my brothers' by then. How many times would _you_ see a serial rapist back on the streets before deciding the city's better off if you make him a eunuch and be done with it?"

"What about the law?" Kim asked, her eyes wide.

"Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't; the law only really works if you choose to be bound by it. How many laws have you flaunted for the sake of saving the world?"

The question caught Kim by surprise. "I... I'm not sure. Wade hacks into stuff all the time, but it's always for a good cause. There have been passport issues more than once, but that was just... bureaucracy. And I guess there have been cultural problems. A teenage girl in a crop top doesn't win any popularity contests in the middle east. But I've never hurt anyone more than necessary to stop them hurting anyone else."

"No surprise that we have different opinions on what's necessary," Shego grunted, putting her hands on her hips. "Perhaps if you genuinely tried to kill me, I wouldn't have had to hold back in response."

"I don't want to kill!" Kim exclaimed. "I hope I never will!"

Shego's staring frown only deepened, and the realisation hit the heroine like a truck.

"You have," Kim whispered.


	4. Chapter 4: A Lot Thinner

Shego shook her head at Kim's innocence. "How many times have I tried to kill you, princess? Or left you to die in one of Dr. D's traps?"

"I've lost count," Kim answered.

"Then why would you think I've never killed before?"

"Your criminal record-"

"Only tells you what I've been caught doing, or been suspected of doing." Shego resumed her crosslegged sitting position as she settled into this new topic. "I'm not a psychopath, I don't do it for fun, and I don't do it if I can avoid it. I don't take life casually... in every sense of the phrase. But... the main reason I have not to kill? Convenience, plain and simple. If you leave a body behind, people look for a killer. If you leave a pile of bodies behind, you end up at the top of the wrong Most Wanted list."

Kim's disappoint was obvious. "So you have no problem with murder."

"Hey, I don't do murder, alright?" Shego snarled. "I kill if I've no other option. Or if I've no time to come up with other options. And if someone's trying to kill me, I'll return the favour without a second thought." She grunted in irritation. "You were lucky kicking me into the tower was the end of it."

"You've never killed anyone for money?"

"Not directly. I'm a mercenary, not an assassin... not that assassination isn't a viable profession, but can you honestly see me blowing away unfaithful spouses or whistle-blowing company executives?" Kim shook her head, to Shego's satisfaction. "Good. Now, the next Hitler, or the current president... I'd take a contract like that. It would be a challenge to get to a target that the world would be better off without."

"You can't kill the president!" Kim exclaimed, only to suffer a withering glare from Shego. "Yes, he's an idiot who never should have been put in the oval office," she admitted, "But you can't kill people just for being stupid."

"We talking about your boyfriend, now?" Shego asked with a wicked smile. Kim shut her mouth with a click. She'd given Shego that opportunity on a silver platter, but it irked her how the older woman could switch topic from killing to boys so easily. On the other hand, she was happy to get off the subject... Shego's snicker interrupted her line of thought. "Bet the sex after graduation was much improved."

"Shego! That's none of your business!" Kim told her even as she felt the onset of a blush.

"Come on, you can tell big sis," Shego crooned with amusement. "You didn't have any trouble talking about what he's got in his pants at Bueno Nacho..." She laughed more wholeheartedly as the redhead's blush deepened.

Kim stuttered before asking, "How did you know?"

"The boy got a major confidence boost when he stepped up. Confidence counts for a lot in the bedroom." Shego noticed Kim looking away. "Or the car..." she added slyly, and was rewarded with Kim's shocked reaction. "Hah, I knew it. _Some_ things never change." She spent a long moment revelling in Kim's embarressment, before changing the subject. "What's he going to do when you go to college?"

"Ask Mr. Smarty for a transfer to whichever city I go."

"Staying in America, then."

"Yeah. I was thinking New York, since that's where United Nations is based, but-"

"No, no buts. New York," Shego insisted, to Kim's surprise.

"Why?"

"Because it's the least stupid city in the the whole country." Shego said it as if the fact was absolutely incontrovertible, before continuing with a mixture of disappointment and distaste. "Trust me on this. It's where the largest percentage of the population actually think for themselves."

"What makes you say that?" Kim asked, curious.

Shego struggled to form an explanation into words. "You can't see the whole ocean while you're swimming in it, right? You can only get a decent view from orbit, from outside. The view of America from outside is... unflattering." Kim raised her eyebrows for clarification, but received none. "I'm not going to start ranting about politics in here, Kimmie. If we get out of this, you're welcome to look up George Carlin on the internet. He got it across better than I ever could." She sighed. "So you and monkey-boy are trying to keep it together, then."

"Yeah..." Kim wondered why she was leading the conversation back to that. "What about you and Dr. Drakken?"

"...I just came back from a vacation. What do you think?"

"Got on your nerves again, did he?" Kim asked with a sympathetic smirk.

"I like my men big, strong and sane," Shego told her, holding up a finger for each point, "Just because I've learned to tolerate Dr. D doesn't mean he's become any less annoying. We're talking about a man whose first instinct when getting a crush on someone is to employ mind control, which I suspect he hasn't tried on me only because he remembers what I did to him the last time."

"Not a romantic, then."

"Meh, I rarely go in for it myself; but between the working and the ranting, I'd have to knock him on his ass to get that kind of attention..." Shego paused as she considered, chin in hand, "...Though come to think of it, I suppose I could consider that a perk."

Kim raised an eyebrow. "Violence is your idea of foreplay?"

Shego raised an eyebrow in return. "Are you questioning the nature of our relationship, cupcake?"

Before Kim could formulate a response, the computer in the other room started beeping like an alarm clock. Both girls stared at each other with sudden shock, then up at the ceiling as the truth ray cut out and the panel slid upward to join its fellows, making the slit in the wall the only light source.

The alarm cut out as machinery began to rumble... behind the wall opposite the window-slit.

The wall began to creep across the room.

"Crap," Shego sighed. Getting to her feet, she hauled Kim up by her waist before the redhead, distracted by the turn of events, could complain. Together, they went over to the slit and slipped their hands through it.

"I can't believe this is it," Kim declared as she looked around, hoping their impending demise would grant her a moment of life-saving inspiration. "Can't you blast the computer?"

"Won't make a difference," Shego assured her. "He's not that sloppy."

"Blast it anyway!"

"If it's still listening, we might pull off a last-second save, princess." A pause as they both racked their brains as to how to accomplish the feat. "Do I get a last request?" Shego suddenly asked.

Kim blinked at her in surprise. "What is it?"

"Don't hit back."

"What?"

Before Kim could react, Shego pulled her nearer hand back out of the slit and punched the teenager in the face. "If I can't get to watch you die _first_," she declared, "I'll settle for getting in one last hit."

"Oh, that's nice." Kim almost felt her bruised cheek with her fingertips, but supposed it wouldn't matter in a minute or two. Looking at Shego's face, though, it appeared that the green girl didn't get as much satisfaction from it as she'd hoped. "Do_ I _get a last request?"

The crushing wall had covered half the distance. Shego shrugged. "Sure."

"Tell me what you were going to say."

"...When?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Shego. Please."

"No more mood lighting, Kimmie. I don't have to say a damn thing."

"How do you know it won't save our lives?" While that was a factor, the truth was Kim didn't want to die without finding out. She had simply chosen to poke at Shego's priorities to pry the answer from her.

It worked. "I don't just respect you," Shego reluctantly admitted, "I admire you."

"You? Admire _me_?" Kim couldn't quite believe it.

"Your ability, your attitude... your choices. You keep jumping into the fray, putting your life on the line, because you believe it's the right thing to do. You're the hero I could never be." Shego looked Kim in the eye. "You're an extraordinary girl, Kim Possible. I'm... I'm sorry I won't get to see the woman you would have become."

Kim was speechless.

Fortunately for her, the computer let out a single beep in that final silence, and the approaching wall ground to a halt with only three feet to go. Instead, a panel below the slit left its wall and slid across the room until it was flat against the wall that had almost crushed them to death. The panel itself was a foot thick and driven by a large central piston, but the girls would be able to squeeze past to get into the other room.

"Oh, come on!" Shego cried out in frustration, "That can't have been it!"

"It might not have been the only thing," Kim consoled her, "But it was the last one. And it saved our lives." When a frowning Shego did not respond, she added, "You saved us, Shego. You saved me, again. Thank you."

"Yeah... well... don't let it go to your head," Shego muttered grumpily before dropping on her hands and knees and crawling through to the other room. Kim couldn't help grinning, though she was forced to follow more carefully, putting her forward weight on her elbows and doing her utmost not to bump the burnt portions of her hands and forearms.

Shego was at the computer, tapping experimentally at the keyboard. Kim got back to her feet and was contemplating how to dress when the green girl cursed. Kim joined her at the console and read the flashing message on the screen that had provoked Shego's ire:

PSYCHE.

The redhead gaped at the screen. "He never intended to kill us?" she asked, then leapt back as Shego's fists flared up and started smashing the entire console, starting with the screen. Bits and pieces of components began flying as the casing was breached, and once nothing was left within reach without bending over, Shego blasted the rest into fragments.

Taking a deep breath when she was done, she turned around and coolly informed Kim, "The next time I see that man, I'm going to punch a hole clean through him." She glanced at the table. "Do you want to change into your mission outfit before I take you to the hospital? I could roll up the sleeves..."

Kim decided she didn't value her appearance that highly. "I don't mind going like this, but I'd appreciate it if you could get my shoes on for me." She watched as the villainess knelt without a word, snatching up the footwear in the process and holding them steady so Kim could get her feet into them. "I don't ever want you to regret telling me, Shego," she said as she did so.

Shego only grunted, though she eventually murmured, "It's gonna be a bit harder to try and kill you from now on." Once Kim's shoes were secure, Shego stepped to the other end of the table and her signature catsuit.

Kim leaned against the table and watched Shego from the corner of her eye, as the green girl stripped off her pyjamas in three seconds flat, leaving the dark silk on the floor as she grabbed her typical attire. The desk lamp threw surprising shadows across her naked body, and Kim found herself taking a more direct look as the green girl pulled her shapely calves through the catsuit's legs. Shego's curves were deceptive; she did have muscle definition across her torso, more than the redhead would have guessed. In this light, she could even trace the contours of her abdominal muscles.

"Like what you see?" Shego asked in her typical mocking tone once she'd pulled the outfit up over her shoulders.

Kim blinked in surprise, then looked away as her cheeks burned. "You're in better shape than I am," she admitted.

The villainess gave the teenager her usual single sarcastic bark of a laugh. "I don't just train to flash my knickers at horny high schoolers," she pointed out, "And that's not counting my supernatural advantages." She zipped up the catsuit and grabbed her gloves, pulling them on as she added more neutrally, "NYU must have a gym. You should take advantage of it while you're young. Easier to maintain your body than to build it up, when you get older." Kim only nodded, still too flushed to look directly at her. Shego smirked; the redhead's reactions to the show she'd given her had made it worthwhile. "Come on, cupcake."

Shego led the way outside, to find her convertible parked by what turned out to be a small warehouse. She opened the passenger side door for Kim before jumping into the driving seat herself. She looked all around them before sitting, checking windows and rooftops, but honestly she did not expect to see any sign of the Motivator. He would know better.

It did not take long for them to get their bearings and head for the hospital. A great fuss was made over Kim and her wounds, which were considered the worst she had ever come in with; a fact that Shego found surprising, considering the teenager's heroic hobby. Had the girl never suffered a life-threatening injury since she started saving the world? Apparently not.

A few of the staff recognised Shego as the likeliest cause of Kim's wounds. Between the former's threats and the latter's assurances, noone called security or the police. Shego turned out to be useful, in fact, knocking Kim out while the doctor removed the necrotised tissue from her wounds using an enzymatic debriding chemical. Shego watched the blackened tissue break up, revealing the healthy flesh beneath, with a mixture of fascination and revulsion. For someone who had tried to kill Kim countless times, she found herself regretting how she had _hurt_ her nemesis... or more specifically, how much she had enjoyed it.

Kim came to in Shego's car with her moist wounds bandaged and a large jar tucked between her legs. "Whuh... what..."

"What the hell happened to your house, Kimmie?"

The teenager realised where they were parked in her old neighbourhood. "Uh... oh... one of those Lorwardian machines came down right on top of it. There was nothing left, nothing from my room..." She blinked rapidly as the pain of her wounds dug into her consciousness.

Shego mistook the action for sorrow. "It was all just stuff. Fight Club mentality, Kimmie. How much of it did you actually need to survive?"

"I know, I know... ow. What happened at the hospital?"

"They treated your wounds with a chemical to break up the dead tissue. Looked like acid, until it got to the healthy stuff. You've got to keep it moist and use the oitment, to regrow what's missing. And keep the wounds bandaged to protect against airborn germs."

"For how long?"

Shego swallowed at the tone of Kim's voice before answering. "It... could be months, Kimmie. Sorry."

"You should be," Kim answered, pain lending her voice more vehemence than she intended. "I'm sorry, too. I... I understand why, but still..."

"I'm not sorry I did it, damnit," Shego growled, "I'm sorry I... enjoyed doing it."

"Oh. Yeah." Kim remembered the look on Shego's face that she'd turned away from, and shuddered.

Shego cleared her throat nervously. "So... where are you staying?"

"The Middleton Motel."

"I know it," was all Shego said as she started the engine.

Dawn was breaking by the time they arrived after a silent journey. Shego parked where Kim directed and again opened the car door for her, before walking her to the door of her room.

"Well... this is me," Kim said quietly.

Shego tried to smirk. "Hell of a first date, huh."

"Huh?" It took a moment for Kim to realise the parallels. "Oh, heh... yeah. You'll understand if I don't ask you to come in."

"Not even a good night kiss?"

"I don't think so."

Shego shrugged with practiced nonchalance. "Your loss."

The heroine heard the challenge in those two words. "Are you suggesting you're a good kisser?"

"Kimmie," Shego purred, taking the redhead's chin between a thumb and forefinger, "I'm telling you that I'm a _great_ kisser." Before Kim could react, she leaned forward and treated the teenager's lips to a flick of her tongue. Kim gasped at the contact, but did not pull away even as Shego leaned back again and let her hand drop.

"Shego... you're confusing the hell out of me. Is that what you're _trying_ to do, or..."

"A little from collumn A, a little from collumn B."

Kim's eyes widened at the admission. "I thought you liked men."

"You know your college years are a time of experimentation, right?" Kim barely nodded, but her blush made it plain that she knew what Shego was talking about. "That's when I learned I like my men big and strong... and my women, extraordinary." Kim's jaw dropped, and Shego laughed quietly before bringing her hand back up, closing the redhead's mouth with a finger under the chin.

This time, Kim did pull away. "I'm with Ron, Shego," she reminded the brunette.

"Men are dogs, princess. You honestly think he'd mind you with another woman?"

"I... honestly, I don't know. But I'm pretty sure he'd mind if the other woman was you."

"We'll see. Maybe when we get back to the old routine, the next time you're both captured, you and I can give him a show..."

"Shego..."

"When he starts begging for release, I promise you he won't be talking about his restraints."

"Shego, stop it!" Kim hissed in embarrassment. Her room was right next to her parents'.

Shego's smirk faltered. Both girls were suddenly reminded of the last time Kim had given Shego such a directive. The green girl knew another apology was on the way with the teenager's intake of breath, and cut her off. "Whatever. Not like it could work between us, anyway." Kim blinked at the tone of voice she was used to hearing from Shego. "I better get out of here before your parents show up and force me to hurt them, too." She placed the ointment jar she was carrying for Kim on the ground by her door and walked back to the car.

Shego started up, reversed out of the parking space, called out, "Next time, Kimmie," and peeled off. For some reason, Kim could do nothing but watch.

She was still standing there when the door to her parents' room opened.


	5. Chapter 5: Horizons Broad and Narrow

As Kim told her parents the short version of the night's misadventure, they were as predictably horrified by her injuries as they were reluctant to empathize with her own acceptance of Shego's actions. Truth be told, Kim didn't quite understand it herself. She begged her parents to let her go sleep, and once her mother had helped her into bed and left her alone, she was pondering her own emotions.

Guilt was a no-brainer. She'd hurt Shego and enjoyed it, took Ron to the prom right afterwards, and slept well that night... except for the 3 a.m. phone call from her new bf about some stupid synthodrone nightmare. Anger was a temporary emotion, however. Getting over the whole Erik thing was signalled by a dream in which Shego had died instead, crushed by the transmission tower. Upon waking, Kim had called Wade to ask about the green girl's health. The boy genius had promised she was no worse for her defeat. Not only that, but it seemed she had yet to attempt an escape, something she'd always succeeded at in the past.

It hadn't been until then that Kim realised Shego was the most 'honest' villain she had ever faced. Physical to the point of violence and antisocial to the point of psycopathy, but... Shego could have cut loose and killed her at any time, Kim believed that now. A normal person might have done it for the sake of honour, or a kind of combative etiquette; but the fact was Shego had always practiced restraint, wanting to beat the teenager on equal terms.

Kim knew it. More, she understood it, the way only a warrior can understand another. She had soon learned that she always knew where she stood when she faced Shego, that they shared a certain connection throughout their rivalry. Except for this new thing, the thing she hadn't even hinted at during the conversation with her parents. Or _was_ it new?

_So when you showed up, looking sexier than you ever have before..._

Had the fight in the Bermuda Triangle restaurant been the start of it? Did realising Kim was growing up add to Shego's frustrations that night? Was _that_ the reason she had been off her game during that fight?

Well, Kim had been wearing one _hell_ of a dress. The one she'd worn to the prom had been tame in comparison.

Then, the final blow at Bueno Nacho headquarters. Shego was bleeding, bruised and unconscious when they dragged her out of the wreckage, but she was already healing by the time she had been thrown into the police van. Thinking back on the moment, Kim remembered the green girl's ire was focused on the press rather than her. She'd actually looked rather thoughtful while sitting in that van. And during last night's conversation, she'd been angry at Kim's reactions to the incident, not the incident itself...

The ensuing epiphany forced Kim's eyes wide open. Had Shego's opinion of her actually _improved_ after that night?

For Shego, it made sense.

Kim forced her eyes closed and tried once more to relax. Her mother had insisted she take something for the pain, which had dulled the sensation of her wounds to a throb that pulsed with her heartbeat; but her mind refused to stop churning over thoughts of her nemesis just yet.

Things had definitely been different between them, since that fateful kick. Shego had saved Kim more than once, claiming a possessive right to be the one to defeat her. Was that really the reason, or had the attraction already begun? Perhaps it had, and Shego had honestly misinterpreted it. Or she hadn't. And wondering about _Miss_ Go only complicated things further. Kim couldn't figure out what the truth was. This was an utterly unfamiliar side to Shego's personality, one that Kim had never given any thought to whatsoever. She couldn't put it past her nemesis that the flirting was just a new level to the beligerent banter between them...

Kim silently admitted to herself that she might want to believe that because it'd had an effect. The redhead had been flustered by Shego's behaviour. She'd gotten under her skin again. The surprise was that Kim had thought of Ron first, rather than the lesbian aspect. The notion hadn't been freak-worthy until Shego chose to leave, which left Kim with a question she should probably force herself to face: was she even capable of being attracted to other girls? Women?

Shego?

* * *

><p><em>Kim was floating. Shego's profile, her slender neck and bare shoulders, were all Kim could see. Was the darkness beneath them simply that, or had the green girl's hair expanded to even more impossible proportions? The brunette's eyes were closed, but a smile tugged at her lips.<em>

_It was beautiful. Kim couldn't look away, not even a glance to verify the villainess was as naked as the current view implied. Was she naked herself? If she was pressed against Shego as she appeared to be, why couldn't she feel it? Well, she could feel something, but... it didn't really register. Just floating. Perhaps it wasn't important. Just the moment._

_A perfect moment. That's what this was._

_Kim sighed in sheer contentment, and Shego's smile widened..._

_Pain!_

Kim woke with a gasp, then hissed at the pain that had woken her. She must have been moving in her sleep, for the heel of her right hand was complaining as loudly as the wound could. It took a moment for the redhead to realise her laboured breathing and sweat-slick skin. As she became accustomed to the throbbing of her hand, she became aware of the throbbing between her legs, arousal interrupted. Had she hurt the hand by trying to touch herself in her sleep? She squeezed her thighs together and squirmed, feeling the sensitivity there, but she was in no condition to do anything about it herself right now.

Her kimmunicator was on the bedside table. She wasn't sure what time she had fallen asleep, but supposed she must have been out for between four and six hours. Carefully she kicked the sheets off, levered herself off the bed and into the bathroom.

The full realization of what had just happened settled uncomfortably into her rational mind. A sex dream about Shego could be explained away, given what Kim had been thinking about as she fell asleep; but she had just consciously wanted to pleasure herself while thinking of the woman. Perhaps, since she had just woken up... no, she hadn't been half-asleep when it happened. The pain had been too much of a jolt. Staring at herself in the mirror, she admitted that she'd really wanted...

The fading warmth from her crotch was hastened by the sudden chill in her gut. Shego coming onto her, Kim could manage. She had already asked herself more than once, in recent years, if she had anything against people whose sexuality did not conform to the norm. Lesbians, she had no problem with. Gays, well... their choices seemed to be limited between oral and... uncomfortable? Unhygienic? But if it made them happy, so be it. So, bi wasn't a problem except for the broader pool from which to catch STDs from. Trans, she wasn't so sure about. It struck her as misrepresentation, which was typically a bad thing; perhaps she just couldn't be sure unless she was actually faced with it.

The thing was, she had always considered those concepts as external. The prospect of identifying with any of them had never occurred to her, until now.

Meanwhile, her wounds were burning. Kim welcomed the distraction. She spent the next few minutes carefully unwrapping the bandages and inspecting the damage. She could feel the heat still radiating from the bare tissue. It was drying out, and from the small patches of colour that dotted her wounds, some of the flesh was still dying. Her mother had said she was surprised Kim hadn't been kept in the hospital. It was probably Shego's fault, and the redhead wasn't surprised she hadn't even mentioned it. Noone would have dared to try and stop her taking Kim home. Well, she'd just have to go back, probably stay a few days, until the necrosis was well and truly gone.

She watched warm water slowly fill the bath while she held her wounds submerged in the cold water of the sink. The sight and sound of falling water helped distract from the stinging bite around her wrists. Nevertheless, Kim was aware that she was laying one distraction upon another. She allowed herself to try and think things through.

She'd spent her high school years showering with her fellow cheerleaders. That was a common activity to promote bi-curiosity, wasn't it? Young, well-formed bodies, all wet and soapy and naked. Boys certainly seemed obsessed with that particular scenario. Her insecurity regarding her less than average cup size had driven her to check out the breasts of her squadmates. That had once led to a private conversation with Tara, who was also challenged in the field of chest measurements. They had also shared a grump about the fact that Bonnie, Kim's high school rival, was the most physically mature girl on the squad.

But there had never been any sexual interest. At least, not on Kim's part. If one in ten girls was a lesbian, could any of the team... the teenager terminated that line of thought. Even if it was a possibilty, it had become moot after graduation. Of course, if her impending college years were the experimental ones...

Kim growled at her own circular logic, pulled the plug from the sink, and carefully negotiated her entry into the bathtub. She had to keep her wounds out of the warmer water, but she was sure she could still use a sponge without the use of her thumbs. Unfortunately, she had not taken the added weight of a wet sponge into account. She was still struggling with it when she heard a knock at the front door.

She froze when she heard the door open. "Kimmie?"

Kim sighed with relief. "I'm in the bath, mom," she called out.

Ann quickly stepped inside and shut the door behind her. "I thought I heard you moving around in here," she said loudly, causing Kim to freeze again in momentary panic as she worried about what her mother might have heard. "How are you doing?"

"Um... I, uh, had a wierd dream. But I banged my hand during the process, so it was interrupted."

Her mother's voice was on the other side of the bathroom door, now. "Is the hand okay, honey?"

"No worse for wear. I put them both in cold water while running the bath. Actually... I could use some help in here."

Ann cracked the door open before she hesitated, having sensed something odd in Kim's voice. "I can come in, then?"

"...Yeah."

As Ann entered, Kim desperately hoped that her mother wouldn't be able to tell what she had recently experienced just by looking. If she could, she didn't show it. She just knelt down beside the bathtub, pulled up a sleeve and fished out the sponge. "Would you like me to wash your hair as well?"

"No need, at least not yet. But my skin is desperately in need of soap."

"I'm not surprised. That must have been quite an active dream, the state your bed is in." Ann noticed her daughter's blush and resolved not to probe further. "Sponge baths are more of a nurse thing than a brain surgeon thing, but I think I still remember how it's done." She smiled encouragingly at Kim as she rubbed some soap into the sponge. "Lean forward, I'll do your back first." She held her daughter's hair out of the way with her free hand as she did so.

Her back done, Kim leaned back and let her mother work her way down her chest. "You don't have to do those," she murmured bashfully as the sponge reached her breasts.

"Honey, I'm a doctor. It's no big," Ann said as neutrally as possible.

"Well, you definitely don't need to do..." Kim trailed off, blushing once again.

"Okay, hun." Ann silently worked her way downwards, carefully avoiding what lay between Kim's inner thighs as she continued past her hips. "You weren't very specific about what happened last night," she finally asked. "Shego has never hurt you so badly before, has she?"

"She... the honesty room was messing with our heads, and she had something to prove," Kim admitted.

"Prove what?"

Kim looked at her mother for a long moment. "You've never really asked for specifics about my missions, mom." She held up her wrists and asked, "Is this freaking you out?"

"Honestly? Yes. I know you've been hurt before, but... cuts, bruises, the occasional sprain or break... a parent expects a child to go through such things even if they're not saving the world. What Shego did to you last night is... different."

"I know you're worried about her," Kim blurted out, "But this is kinda a good thing." Ann raised an eyebrow at that. "Mom... Shego could have done this to me any time we crossed paths in the last four years. She could have taken my hands clean off. Or my head. But she never did. That's the point she was trying to make." She fell silent a moment as she considered. "She was right. Things between us will never be the same. But there's nothing wrong with that."

Ann, finishing Kim's feet, looked at her daughter with a perplexed expression. "How can you not be angry for what she did to you?"

To her surprise, her daughter flinched at the question. "I've been angry at her before," Kim answered slowly. "I even... for a while, I even hated her. And I hurt her. It... it felt good to hurt her, at the time." She released a shuddering breath. "I don't ever want to feel like that again. I can't hate her, mom. I can't be angry at her for this. As far as she's concerned, we're even now. And I agree with her."

"'Be careful when you fight monsters, lest you become one,'" Ann murmured.

"She isn't-" Kim cut herself off, her defence of Shego apparently automatic. She seemed as puzzled by it as her mother was; but Ann realised her daughter was trying to work things out for herself.

"You don't have to tell me now, Kimmie. Let's get you out of this bath and dry you. Then we'll put the oitment on, and fresh bandages, and I'll take you to the hospital after lunch. One more proper meal before you're stuck with jello." Ann offered her daugher a smile, and Kim returned it gratefully.

Kim spent a week in the hospital, altogether. Her father brought the tweebs to visit her the first afternoon, and she had been so grateful for their subdued and supportive presence that she had allowed them to watch her wounds being treated, actually finding comfort in their remarks of grossness the whole time. Predictable normalcy was a boon after recent events.

Ron spent as much of the second day as he could with her. The visit did not start well.

"Why wasn't I told until today?" he practically yelled.

"I wanted to settle in before you showed up and went into freak mode," Kim replied, in that barely tolerant tone of voice that suggested he should either shut up or change topic. He opted for the latter and started badmouthing Shego with frustrating assertiveness. When he started contemplating the possibility of being able to toss her all the way to the moon, Kim's patience snapped.

"Ron, enough! What happened between me and Shego is our business, not yours! I don't want you running off and doing anything stupid! It has nothing to do with you!"

"Yes it does," Ron insisted energetically, "She hurt my girlfriend! Badly! Seriously, KP, what if the damage is too extensive to ever heal properly? I don't just mean scarring, you may never even get back the full use of your hands! Shego needs a serious biscuit-kicking!"

"I already kicked her biscuit," Kim muttered darkly.

"Oh. You did? Well then..."

Kim never told him that she was referring to last year's climactic battle at Bueno Nacho headquarters; she just wanted him to calm down so she could enjoy his company without the protective boyfriend attitude. When he went to bring them both lunch, she called Wade and made him promise not to let Ron go off after Shego. She said she didn't want her boyfriend to get himself hurt. In truth, she didn't want Shego hurt either... not for this, at least.

The spray that was used to break up the necrotic tissue in her wounds stung like hell, and she was grateful that she had been unconscious during the original treatment. Her mother or Ron were usually present whenever the bandages were supposed to come off, usually to apply the oitment. During one of the spray treatments, Kim explained to Ron how Shego had helped her after they got out of the Motivator's trap, brought her to the hospital, knocked her out for the first treatment, then took her to her parents. He accepted that these events occurred, though he didn't understand the motivations behind them.

Five days later, Kim's wounds no longer felt like they were still cooking. After two more, there had been no further sign of necrosis and she was released from the hospital. All she had to do now was keep the wounds moist and use the oitment that aided tissue regrowth. She also had to start using the full range of movement of both hands and wrists, so the new skin would not restrict such movements later.

Another week passed before the call came.

"Details are sketchy," Wade's image informed Kim. "Drakken had some sort of meltdown yesterday and stormed out of the facility. Apparently they had protocols for this kind of thing, they were keeping an eye on him without interfering... but an hour ago, Shego walked into the facility, grabbed all of Drakken's notes and materials, and blasted her way back out when they tried to stop her!"

Kim frowned when Shego's name was mentioned. "Was she following Drakken's orders?"

"The surveillance team didn't see anything, but when they were informed of the theft and ordered to bring Drakken in, all they found were holograms!"

"So, Drakken and Shego are back to their old tricks."

"Looks like. I'm tracking them down now," Wade said as he tapped at a keyboard. "The priority seems to be recovering stolen government property, and some of the higher-ups in the UN are calling for Drakken's and Shego's criminal records to be fully reinstated. Others want to wait until you get some answers before making a decision, though. Whatever Drakken was working on, it must have been important."

"Let me know as soon as you find them, Wade."

"Kim... are you sure you want to go? Your injuries are still months away from being completely healed."

Kim glanced at the hand holding the Kimmunicator. She'd gone back to the handheld version snce she was unable to strap the smaller model to her wrist, and while her thumbs were still weak, they were now usable.

"There's noone better for the job... and I want to hear those answers for myself," she told Wade, her voice steady with resolve.


	6. Chapter 6: Invalidations

The search took longer than expected. Perhaps Drakken and Shego had learned to be more careful when it came to safeguarding their location. As days stretched into weeks, life went on as normally as it could for someone who was between high school and college.

Kim's burns continued to heal. The insides of her wrists been covered by Shego's palms and had suffered no damage. Had that been intentional? The shape of the green girl's thumbs and fingers were now more noticable on the outside, islets of healthy skin in an increasingly blotchy sea as the tissue began to regenerate. The doctors said that under ideal conditions, that blotchiness would resolve itself and in the end she would simply have untanned skin where it had regrown. The only actual scars would be between old and new skin; so the pattern of scars she would end up with were going to be... interesting.

Kim did follow Shego's advice and accepted the scholarship from New York University. The heroine called in a favour for a trip to the city, taking Monique for her fashion design interview and checking out things like campuses and accommodations together. The prospect of being flatmates was appealing to both of them, for different reasons. Monique would be grateful for having such a good (and well-travelled) friend in a new city and situation, while Kim believed she would be far more comfortable with Monique than with some stranger who might either resent sharing space with the teen hero, or even worse... be one of her wierder fans.

Of course, Kim's latest revelations called the Monique comfort level into question. The pair spent a night in a hotel together, and the redhead saw more of her best girl friend than she ever had before. She wouldn't say she'd checked her out, exactly... but she did... look. And when Monique caught her at it, she covered her blushing response by suggesting she could model as well as design. She did have amazing skin. And curves. For a girl.

Shego and Monique were similiar in a few ways, wildly opposite in most. While Kim had _known_ that both were attractive, she had only recently _felt _it with Shego, thanks to the villainess' recent sincerity and... interest. What might Kim come to feel about the other brunette in her life? She watched Monique as she slept, drinking her in with her eyes, to see if there was anything there. Could their relationship change in that way? Could she kiss those lips? Want to? Need to?

No answers were forthcoming, much to Kim's frustration.

Monique helped her treat and dress her wounds the next morning, and she took the job very seriously. Kim was compelled to explain things to her as she had to her mother and Ron. The black girl didn't understand it any better - she had always paid more attention to Kim's traditional heroic efforts than the freak-fighting - but she was willing to believe that it made sense to the girl who apparently knew Shego best. In the light of that acceptance, Kim resolved never to endanger their friendship with... unconventional romance.

Because it was a conventional romance that she had with Ron. That made it different. It shouldn't, but that was the reality of the situation. Like Shego had said, it's how the world really works.

_Not that she'd give a damn what people thought if we got together,_ Kim realised, sending her on another spiralling wave of confusion and doubt.

* * *

><p>Wade pinpointed Drakken and Shego's location on one of the smaller Hawaiian islands as Kim was preparing to make the move from Middleton to New York. The island was hardly self-sufficient, so it was only a matter of time before Shego had to go fetch something from civilisation and come to the attention of one of Wade's contacts. A little security camera hacking confirmed her identification and he was able to track her back to the island.<p>

Kim considered the timing inconvenient, which would be just like Shego, whether it was intentional or not. Still, she was glad the wait was over.

Global Justice was more than willing to provide transport, but the journey dragged on somewhat given the lack of homework or reading material. Kim tried to relax, but ended up watching Ron from the corner of her eye. The nearer they got, the more his Serious Face seemed to settle across his features.

When the pilot informed them they were ten minutes away from their chosen drop point, Kim sighed before she spoke. "Ron... when we get there... don't do anything dumb."

Ron's frown turned to her. "What do you mean?" he asked testily, already knowing the answer to the question. Kim knew he knew, and her ire rose in turn.

"I mean, I don't want you going all monkey-magic at Shego. Leave her to me."

"Kim, you can't handle Shego right now." This time it was Kim's turn to frown, but he ploughed on. "Even without the glow, all she needs is a solid impact on the right spot, even while you block, and the pain will be enough for her to take you down hard. I'm not gonna to let that happen."

"It's not up to you, Ron," Kim growled through gritted teeth. Ron crossed his arms and looked away.

"You think I don't know what this is about?" he boyfriend suddenly asked.

"What do you mean?"

"For years now, you've been the hero and I've been the sidekick. The distraction. The bumbling buffoon who screws things up as often as he saves the day. Now _I'm_ stronger, _you're_ weaker, and you can't handle it."

"That is _so_ not the case."

"Is too."

"Is not!"

"Is, infinity."

"Ron!" Kim stopped herself from embarking on a fullblown rant, taking a deep breath before proceeding in a calmer tone. "I'm happy that you've learned to tap into this new superpower of yours. I'm glad that I can expect you to be able to take care of yourself better than you used to! But this power is still new to you, and I can't have you relying on it if you're angry."

"I've tapped into it once before, actually."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, the first time I went to..." Ron glanced in the pilot's direction, "...Uh, Yori's place. I wasn't really aware of it at the time, and I didn't do nearly as much with it as I did at graduation, but-"

"Not the point, Ron," Kim interrupted, though her anger was now gone. "My point is the whole power, responsibility thing. You're angry at what Shego did to me, and I appreciate it. But if you fight her, she'll make it worse, get under your skin, and probably make you do something you shouldn't." Her boyfriend raised his eyebrows, uncomprehending. "You were talking about throwing her beyond the planet's atmosphere, Ron! I don't want you to go too far... do something you might regret." Her voice became quieter as she looked down, away from his eyes. "Something I might not be able to forgive."

Now, Ron understood. He pulled Kim's chin up to look at him again. "I get it, Kim. I do. You're looking out for me, the same as you always do. I just want you to let me do the same for you."

"You've always had my back, Ron, I know that."

"Yeah, but you gotta admit it's different, now." Kim seemed reluctant to agree, but nodded anyway. "How about this," Ron decided, "I'll _help_ you with Shego. We'll take her together. And no monkey power, just monkey kung fu. Deal?"

"Deal," Kim agreed with a relieved smile, and hugged Ron as well as she could without using her forearms.

It took several minutes for Ron to make the other connection.

"Wait a minute. Do you regret me throwing Warhok and Warmonga into their crashing spaceship?" Kim blinked and blushed guiltily. She'd never expected him to work that out. "So _that's_ what this is about," Ron muttered in the ensuing silence. "They were the most evil, ruthless beings ever to set foot on the planet. They were talking about mounting you next to some other alien's spine as a trophy. So I did something I wasn't sure they'd survive, to save the girl I love."

Kim blanched. Ron thought it was because of what he'd done, but all Kim could see was Shego convulsing as electricity arced across her body.

* * *

><p>At first, the lair seemed to be comprised of several treehouses in the same massive tree. Drakken's mutated plants were draped over everything, a visual confusion of vines and flowers that made it difficult to make out the tree's true shape. There didn't seem to be any access from the ground.<p>

Ron poked experimentally at the foliage, but it didn't react. He tugged downward, but it didn't break. "Looks like we... uh, I could climb up..."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Drakken could order it to lift him up there," Kim supposed as she pulled her hairdryer from its holster. She'd just have to attatch the thing to her belt before ascending. Meanwhile, Ron placed one foot on a sturdy vine before pulling himself up by his chosen handholds, but that was as far as he got. Distracted by what was behind the foliage, he gave it an experimental tap. It felt and sounded exactly as it looked.

"Hold on, KP." The warning tone in his voice was enough to give Kim pause. She marched over as he dropped back down and pulled a larger amount of the growth apart, revealing the grey metal beneath. "Drakken isn't crazy enough to make some sort of cyber-tree of doom, is he?"

"I wouldn't think so, but if he did go off the deep end when he ran off..." She tried to follow the shape of the metal structure as it arced upward, but it was soon lost behind the mess of vines and flowers. Whatever it was, it must be big. Bigger than the tree. Kim took several paces back, then several more. "Oh."

"What?" Ron walked over to her, then turned to look back at the lair. "Ohhh."

They'd approached through the trees, thinking to disguise their approach. From their new angle across the clearing, they could make out the shape under the mass of mutated plant life: a Lorwardian quadropod.

"It looks like the saucer is parked right next to that big treehouse," Kim said, aiming the grappling hook at the appropriate structure with both hands. Her aim proved true, the grapple sailing over the roof of the treehouse and hooking into the vines there. Latching the hairdryer to her belt, she looked apologetically at Ron. "Give me a hug?"

"Well... you're not off the hook..."

"I hope not," the redhead joked, glancing back up the line.

Ron sighed, and took an appropriate hold on his girlfriend before she retracted the line. Kim couldn't help grinning as they rose together; there had been a hint of a smile on his face.

Once he'd helped her into the treehouse proper, they could both see the metal door set into the wall on the far side, leading into the saucer; but they only got halfway across before the foliage took exception to their presence. Faster than they could react to, the vines meandering across the floor wrapped around their ankles. As they stumbled, more loops of the stuff drooped down from the ceiling to do the same to their wrists. Kim cried out at the abrasive treatment as they were pulled upright, her bandages the only thing between the living snares and her wounds.

"Kim!" Ron cried, struggling against his bonds. "Are you okay?"

"Stupid question, Ron," she hissed. "Stop struggling! We're being held by the same vines and you're not making it any easier." Ron stilled immediately. "Nnngh... I'd appreciate a little Rufus action round about now."

"Rufus! Up and at 'em!" Ron's naked molerat popped his upper half out of his pocket, stretched and yawned, then took in the situation. "Kim first, little buddy," the blond added. Rufus chittered anxiously as he crawled up to Ron's hip, then leapt to Kim's and continued upward. Unfortunately, his movements had not gone unnoticed. More loops of vine whipped downward to snag the rodent, who put on an impressive display of acrobatics before being wrapped head to tail and unable to get his teeth into anything.

As Kim whined in frustration, Ron tried to think of an upside. "Well... at least we're still on our feet, rather than hanging from the ceiling," he pointed out with as much cheer as he could muster.

"Not. Helping."

The metal door they had been heading for clanged open, revealing a familiar silhouette with a hand on its hip. "Of all the people to come visit... shouldn't you be off-duty, princess?"

"Actually, I was getting ready to move to New York," Kim informed Shego.

"Huh. Glad to hear it," the green girl admitted as she stepped forward into the light. The way she was smirking at Kim, the redhead was sure she was recalling her suggestions concerning their current situation; but the smirk on Shego's face faltered as she saw the way in which the prisoners were restrained. "How are they?" she asked.

"Until a minute ago, they were only itching ferociously," Kim replied with some heat.

What was left of Shego's smirk twisted into a wince. She pointed two fingers from one hand at the vines holding Kim's wrists and let off two small blasts of green energy. They didn't damage the foliage, but the vines immediately loosed their grip. She followed suit with Kim's ankles, then raised her other hand and pointed at the small, struggling bundle between the two heroes. Another minimal blast and Rufus tumbled to the floor, where he sat and gasped for breath.

When the villainess had first appeared, the possibility of hurting Kim was the only reason Ron hadn't moved. Now Shego had freed Kim completely, he started struggling again. "What about me!" he demanded.

"What _about_ you?" Shego asked. "Don't you have a monkey magic trick for this kind of thing?"

"Shego..." Kim began.

"You let Rufus loose!" Ron pointed out.

An almost-sincere smile crossed Shego's face. "Him, I like. He's smarter than you."

"Haa haa!" the molerat intoned as a precursor to a high-pitched gigglefest.

Kim sighed. "Shego." The green girl turned her attention back to the redhead. "I'd rather he not have to resort to his monkey power just now."

"I'll bet you don't," Shego's smile returned to smirk mode. "You like being on top, dontcha-"

"Please..."

Shego blinked in surprise at the word, then sighed. "Whatever," she muttered, before releasing the blonde in the same manner she had Kim. "So, you're here to see Dr. D?"

"...And thank you."

"Come on, then," Shego sighed as she turned back to the metal doors.

"Aren't you supposed to try and _stop_ us from getting inside?" Ron asked, confusion now overcoming his anger at the woman.

Shego paused to glance back at Kim's bandages. "Apparently not," she said matter-of-factly, before leading them into the alien saucer.

The interior was an organised mess. There were piles of technology here and there, sometimes stacked, sometimes completely jumbled. The weaponry that circled the lower half of the saucer was still in place, except for one which was partly disassembled. Areas were walled off for unknown reasons, but the way to the center was clear. The circle there was flanked by two curved consoles, which were doubling as workbenches. Dr. Drakken was there, looking at something through a microscope (or something like it) while trying to get the alignment right. There was no sign of the mutated botany that had been growing from his person during their last encounter.

Shego leaned against the nearer end of the console opposite Drakken's and said, "You owe me a dollar."

"I do? What for..." Distracted, it took a moment for the appropriate memory to register. When it did, Drakken jerked up from the microscope and looked around. "Kim Possible? Shego said you were unwell. Why did they send _you_?"

"You were _expecting_ company?" Kim asked.

The mad scientist shrugged imperiously. "Eventually, yes. My departure was doubtless more sudden than the leash-holders would have preferred."

"Less so than Shego's."

"Yes, well, they really should have expected that," Drakken muttered, scowling at the girl in question. She was inspecting the claws that tipped her gloves, pretending not to pay any attention.

"The UN is discussing restoring your criminal records and warrants," Kim told the villains, noting Shego's snort of contempt. "What happened, Drakken?"

"I couldn't stand it anymore, that's what happened!"

"Stand what?" Ron asked.

Drakken stared at the sidekick a moment before pointing at him and declaring, "Stoppable! Hah, I remembered." He then began pacing as his ranting muscles warmed up. "It was an official government research and development facility, full of stuffy bureaucrats and contemptuous coworkers! Jealousy, plain and simple! But the worst thing was how stifling it was." He came to a halt and gestured dramatically. "Rules! Regulations! Pointless protocols!"

"So you've gone back to taking over the world?"

"What? Nononooo... well, yes, eventually... but I've changed tactics. I'm thinking longterm," he tapped his temple for emphasis.

"What are you talking about?" Kim asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I can't conqour the world if it's run by aliens and their superior technology." Drakken gestured at their surroundings. "I didn't save the world, so much as maintain the status quo. But in the process, my genius was finally recognised! That's when I began to realise my previous mistakes. I was always planning to fix the world _after_ I conqoured it. But what if I do it... the other way round?"

Kim was honestly surprised. "What?"

"Hah! What if I fix the world _first_? I've already done it one huge favour. How many more until the average shmoe starts thinking the world would be better off if I were in charge? And the world is full of average shmoes, represented by corrupt politicians and ineffectual world leaders! Tell me, Kim Possible: what would it take for _you_ to start thinking I might not be the bad guy after all?"

Kim grimaced. "More than you can imagine."

"Oh, really? What about... ending world hunger!"

"That... would be a big step," the redhead admitted, "But do you seriously think the world would bow down to you just by doing good deeds like that?"

"Of course not! But imagine what would happen if I had a big enough reputation for getting things done? If I play my cards right, I could be given more and more authority, until I'm running the entire planet anyway!" Drakken indulged in a villainous laugh.

"And the irony is, he's never even watched the Space Schisms prequels," Shego chose to add, pointing a thumb in her employer's direction.

"Well, you said they would ruin the franchise for me," Drakken reminded her. "And after seeing that Binky character, I'm inclined to believe you."

"Look," Shego said as she stopped leaning against the console, "Why don't you show monkey-boy the mad science you've been doing, while I show Kimmie around the rest of the place so she can see we aren't hiding any doomsday weapons in a dark corner?"

Shego looked Kim in the eyes as she said the last part, and Kim saw something there she trusted. "Alright," the teenager agreed, much to her boyfriend's surprise.

"What? KP, are you sure?"

"Ron, it's okay. Shego won't give me any trouble."

"Nnn... I don't like it, but if you're sure..."

"Thanks." Kim gave her boyfriend a peck on the cheek before she followed Shego back out of the saucer.

"So," Drakken directed at the blond, "You two are still together?"

"Ugh, why do all you villains keep saying it as if you don't believe it?" Ron complained.


	7. Chapter 7: No Punching or Kicking

As soon as the girls were back in the treehouse and the metal door shut behind them, Shego turned to the teenager. "Left hand's bleeding, Kimmie." She watched the heroine hold up the hand and discover the small blood stain soaking through the bandage covering the heel of her thumb. "Tell me you brought fresh bandages with you." A nod. "We'll go to my... room, or whatever. This one's the hub to all the others, and Dr. D will probably take monkey-boy to see the greenhouses."

"Greenhouses?"

"Yeah, more plant research. That's what the government had him working on. I think half the reason he freaked is because they wouldn't let him near any of the alien junk."

Kim started following Shego up a flowery vine bridge to another treehouse. The bridges were tightly woven and surprisingly solid, with thick wooden slats to step on. "What about the war machine you've got tucked away, here?" Kim asked once she was confident of her footing.

"They probably kept him away from that kind of thing on purpose. But here, he tinkers with it while waiting for stuff in petri dishes and incubators to grow. He thinks if he can understand the underlying technology," and Shego ridiculed the mad scientist's ranting voice, "Its uses might be limitless!"

They arrived at the treehouse at the far end of the bridge, but another bridge rose upward again at a right angle to the first. At it's end was the highest treehouse of the lot. Here Kim discovered a nylon hammock, a deck chair and a chest that was flat enough to double as a table.

"I suppose you chose this one for the view," Kim breathed as she saw the ocean, visible from this height in almost every direction.

"Let's take care of you, first. Bandages?"

"Backpack. Get the oitment out too, will you?" Kim asked without thinking, then blushed slightly. "Um... if you don't mind rubbing it in for me. I'm not quite able to do it myself, yet."

"Sure you trust me to?" Shego sounded somewhat surprised as she fished the items out from the pack on Kim's back.

"I'd suggest you consider it recompense, but I suppose you'd enjoy a new way to hurt me."

"Then I guess you've enjoyed our fights all this time because you're a closet masochist."

"Hardly," Kim drawled.

Shego watched as Kim carefully sat in the hammock and unwound the old bandages. "Huh, you've healed pretty well so far." She scrutinized the left hand. "That, however... uh. That's what... in the final seconds..."

"Yeah," Kim repeated. They both looked down at the heel of her thumb, what the doctors had referred to as the thenar eminence. The muscles were missing tissue, the network of blue veins exposed.

"Kimmie..."

"I may never get the full use of that thumb back, I know. Mom and Dad know. Noone else." Kim looked up at Shego meaningfully.

"Your call," Shego shrugged.

"Um... you'll need to lose the gloves, if you're gonna..."

The older woman frowned. Apparently that hadn't crossed her mind, and for some reason she resented the idea. She looked into Kim's face a moment, gave a frustrated growl and began to comply. She tugged at each finger in both gloves before pulling them off one after the other.

Kim's eyes widened at the sight of the exposed appendages. "Shego..."

"Yeah yeah," the green girl grumbled. "Just don't start sympathizing or anything. I hear any pity in your voice and I'll fucking slap you."

Shego's hands and wrists were red. Not the normal tone of healthy flesh, but bad sunburn red. As Kim stammered and stuttered, the villainess opened the jar, scooped out a little of the gunk inside and rubbed it between forefinger and thumb. Not discovering any unpleasant effects, she retrieved more of the stuff and started rubbing it into her own hands.

"What..." Kim finally managed to say, "How..."

Shego huffed before replying, "Green glow semantics, Kimmie. Usually, it never touches my skin. That's why whatever I wear on my hands never gets shredded or burned... handcuffs included. I have to focus to use the glow on anything in direct contact with my skin. This is the drawback."

"You burn too?"

"It's more like a radiation burn for me, but yeah." Shego dipped into the jar again and gestured. Kim held out her forearms, and the other girl worked on the the left hand first. She was gentle, but the teenager still had to clench her jaw tight to prevent herself from making any noise. "If I tried to use kinetic energy on handcuffs, I'd pulverize my hands in the process," Shego muttered as an afterthought, "And if I tried thermal, I wouldn't have any hands left."

With that side of Kim's hand and forearm treated, she twisted it so Shego could do the other side. "Why doesn't it usually touch your skin?" the heroine asked.

"Body's bioelectric field, I suppose. Didn't really let the scientists poke'n'prod me enough to find out."

The rest of the treatment was conducted in silence. Kim found herself watching Shego's face more often than her ministrations, trying to figure the woman out... and what she meant to her. Shego paused as she glanced up at her, but quickly returned to work upon seeing Kim's expression. The heroine's parted lips and the light blush across her cheeks were too distracting, and she didn't want to give her body time to react to that look. So she never saw Kim's blush deepen, as she did not know how hard the girl's heart had thumped in her chest as their eyes had met.

Shego wrapped the new bandages around Kim's freshly-treated wounds with no need for direction. "You should get a tennis ball or something," the green girl suggested, "Spend some time every day squeezing it. Get some strength back in your fingers. It might help..." she broke off, not wanting to refer directly to the muscle damage. Another unfamiliar pang of guilt struck the villainess, and she cursed under her breath as she finished up.

"Shego," Kim whispered. Though she could not take the older woman's hands in her own, she slipped her fingertips into Shego's grip. "We already agreed, we're even now. Even if I didn't mark you like you have me... it's okay."

"How can you not be furious with me?" Shego growled. "I _enjoyed_..."

"I know," Kim said in the softest voice she could manage, "I saw it." Shego shut her eyes at those words, but the redhead continued. "The worst part of you enjoyed the pain you caused me. Then a better part took back control, and I saw how furious you were with yourself for what you had done. And you _still are_." She developed a sad but sincere grin. "That's enough for me. I don't need revenge. I'm content with being even."

Shego shook her head as she exhaled a heavy breath. She couldn't bring herself to open her eyes again, partly because she could feel the tears threatening to arrive, partly because she couldn't bear to look at Kim's face. _I need that part of me to survive!_ her voice screamed in her head as if she should be screaming it at her nemesis, but she just couldn't. She could imagine the girl's expression, full of compassion; in Shego's mind, disgust at Kim's weakness warred with admiration for her forgiveness.

The fingertips of Kim's right hand left Shego's grip, and she felt them brush her cheek instead. She leaned into them ever so slightly. The hammock creaked with a shift of weight, and the villianess heard the slight inhalation before Kim's lips pressed against her other cheek. Her impending tears were startled away by the sensation, along with her breath. The lips remained for a surprisingly long moment. Shego's eyes flew open as the sensation ended, and she caught Kim's face before she could lean back. The teenager's face was a blushing mix of surprise and confusion, and... it was adorable.

Kim's memories of her archfoe's parting words at their last meeting, the dream and her waking reaction to it, had flooded back to the fore during that supposedly chaste contact. She froze as Shego's thumb gently brushed across her lips and she realised what the older woman intended. Her heart started beating out a samba as Shego leaned her face a little further to the side and pressed those dark lips to her own.

Both girls closed their eyes in the new kiss. The moment was no longer than the last, but time slowed down for Kim. She was stunned by the softness of Shego's lips, yet their pressure against her own was so insistent. Her initial sense of panic melted in the presence of that touch. There was nothing sick or wrong or even erotic here. This was... gratitude.

_Okay,_ Kim admitted to herself as she returned the kiss, _Maybe a __**little**__ erotic._

This time Shego broke contact, letting her hands fall as she rocked back onto her heels. They stared at each other as they recovered their wits, and Shego saw a smirk rise on Kim's face that looked suspiciously like the one the villainess usually saw in the mirror. "You just hate saying thank you out loud, don't you?" the teenager asked.

"Is that a complaint," Shego countered, "Or merely observation?"

The question seemed to fluster the girl. "It's... not a complaint," she eventually decided.

Shego mustered a smirk of her own. "Blush any more, pumpkin, and your cheeks will match your hair."

"You're blushing too," Kim pointed out, though the effect was barely noticable on the green girl... then realized something. "Hey... it's..."

"The green is only skin deep, Kimmie. My blood's still red, I'm still pink on the inside." Shego stuck her tongue out at her to demonstrate.

"Oh. I, uh..." Kim shut her mouth before she blabbed about making assumptions, after seeing Shego's green nipples.

"Heh. How freaked are you right now?"

"I'm not! ...Entirely." She watched Shego snigger as she pulled her clawed gloves back on. "It's just... I'm used to thinking whatever you do that doesn't involve actual fighting is designed to throw me off."

"You don't think this qualifies? The best distractions are the honest ones; why do you think I keep knocking your fashion sense?" She paused a moment for that barb to sink in. "If you hesitate the next time you try to punch the face you just kissed, so much the better."

Kim raised an eyebrow. "You're not afraid it'll backfire?"

"...Evil," Shego reminded her, tapping her own chest.

The voices of Drakken and Ron floated up from below. Shego watched Kim's grin turn downright cheeky and thanked any gods who might be paying attention that she had regained her composure. "How long do you think it'll be before they find us?" the redhead asked, leaning forward again.

"Woah," Shego declared, holding up an arresting hand, "Back up there, cupcake. We had our little moment, leave it at that. The two sides of the coin are never meant to meet face to face."

"Well then, aren't you supposed to be showing me around the rest of the lair?"

Shego considered, then shrugged. "Do you believe me when I say there are no doomsday devices on site?"

"Yes," Kim replied without missing a beat. Shego glared at her for such stupidity, never mind the fact that it was true. _Something to bear in mind when it's not,_ Shego figured, though she doubted the opportunity to use such a subterfuge would come up. Drakken had a tendancy to be too obvious when it came to the crunch.

"Then enjoy the view," Shego finally offered with a vague wave to their surroundings.

Kim rose and walked to the side of the square treehouse with the best view, grateful for the chance to turn away from Shego before her inner turmoil showed on her face. Her heart had stopped thundering, but its pace was still energetic. She schooled her heavy sigh to sound like an appreciation of the sights rather than a release of tension. Apparently it worked. "Yeah, this is one of the better lairs," Shego voiced her opinion as she swung herself around onto the hammock to lay down. "There's a beach that way I spend my afternoons on, assuming Dr. D doesn't need me."

"You don't tan, do you," Kim asked, grateful for the conversational distraction.

"Newp. Sunblock is a necessity." Shego took a moment to appreciate a view of her own: Kim's ass in tight black pants. "Bet you wish you still had your crop top and nice loose cargo pants, in this heat."

"I'm fine," Kim responded with only a hint of frustration, refusing to admit that purple and black weren't the best colours to wear in a tropical summer. "Was it _radiation_ from the comet that gave you and your brothers powers?"

"Oh, you... of course," Shego realised, her distaste obvious in her voice, "Hego would have explained it. Let me guess, fate knocked hard."

"Yep."

"Well then, what about your boytoy's powers? Where'd they come from?"

"He's not a toy," Kim automatically defended, "And he got hit by mystical monkey power the first time we came across Monkey Fist."

"That must have been a few years back. So why is he still such a doof?"

"He's not..." Kim sighed. Nothing she said would stop Shego insulting Ron, and she knew it. She could feel the smirk forming on the green girl's lips, without even looking. "In his own words, it comes and goes."

"He's not happy with me after what I did to you," the green girl stated without inflection.

"He pretty much wants to launch you into outer space without the benefit of a rocket, right now. And he probably could, so try not to-"

"Actually," Shego drawled, "Since I can't kick you around the island right now, I was thinking of giving monkey-boy a go."

Kim turned to face her. "Shego. Don't."

"I'm game if he is," the villainess told her. "And since when is it your decision?" When Kim didn't have an immediate reply, she continued, "I was right, wasn't I? The princess likes to be in charge, but now the sidekick has a power she can't even touch." Shego swung herslef upright. "Men are dogs, Kimmie, and dog rules state the biggest one is in charge. How much longer do you think you can keep someone like that on a leash?"

"I'm more worried about what he might do with that power," Kim admitted, before adding forcefully "But I don't resent Ron for stepping up, and I never will."

"Your team dynamic has changed forever, princess. Don't expect things to stay the same." She paused. "Don't expect _anything_ to stay the same," she added in a less confrontational tone, "Especially in the years you've got coming."

"What do you mean?"

"Everything changes. Whatever you've got planned... it'll never work out quite the way you want. Fact of life. So try to be prepared for it when life turns upside-down and inside-out." Kim watched silently as Shego brooded, correctly suspecting more was to come. "Your life's gone pretty well, compared to many, despite what you do. I can't help thinking you won't be ready when the shit finally hits the fan."

"Like it did for you?" Kim supposed, trying to ignore the profanity in the phrase.

"In my case," Shego growled, "It hit the fan, turned diarrhetic, was laced with napalm and lit on fire. You think I'm short-tempered now? In the old days, it didn't take much for me to want to rip out someone's windpipe and shove it up their ass while they were still gurgling for breath." Kim shuddered at the visual. "And that was _before_ the villainy," Shego clarified.

"Hego?" Kim asked.

"And Mego. Among many other faceless idiots over the years."

"Not the twins..."

Shego grunted. "No, not them. Sometimes I think they were lucky. They were too young to remember what it was like before the comet, being just the one kid."

"Wait, what?" Shego glared at Kim without replying with the obvious. "Wego was twinned by the comet when he was just a few years old, then. And they've never been able to be less than two of them ever since?"

"Bingo."

Kim considered for a moment, before carefully asking, "You've never spoken much about your childhood, and I must admit I'm curious. Do you think you could talk to me about it? Sometime?"

Shego stared at her, frowning but without malice. "Not really one for looking back, Kimmie, and we're hardly chums."

"We could be," the heroine offered. Shego's frown became conflicted. Silence fell between them as they both considered the possibilities, and difficulties. Both also wondered if she meant _just_ friends; Kim wasn't calm enough to think it through, herself.

It was during this silence that Drakken and Ron came up the bridge to join them. The former had a smile on his face after indulging his tendancy for exposition, while the latter puzzled over the lack of violence between the girls. "Hey KP, everything cool?"

Kim turned to her boyfriend with a disarming smile. "Not in this weather, but check out the view."

"Oooh..." Ron hummed as he did as she suggested. While he slowly turned on the spot, Rufus jumped from his shoulder to the ropes holding up the hammock and sniffed his way downward. Shego watched his progress with increasingly narrow eyes as he continued to snuffle along the edge of the hammock until he reached her lap, levered himself upright with his front paws on her thigh and started a staring contest.

Kim leaned into Ron and he put an arm around her. "So," she began, "What's Drakken's work look like?"

"Well... it looks legit," Ron grudgingly admitted. "Those walled-off areas inside the saucer are labs with special lighting and and irrigation and fertilizer - I didn't ask where that came from - and the greenhouses contain the next stage... but he's had mixed results at best. Apparently it's a big leap from mutating flora to mutating fruit and veg, y'know? And there are other issues, too."

"Like what?"

"Well, you saw how this stuff responded to Shego's blasts," Ron pointed at a flowery vine draped over the edge of the treehouse's roof, "It's not as smart as the original, but it is still smart enough to learn. Would you want to bake a potato if it's as intelligent as an adorable puppy?"

Drakken enthusiastically cut in. "The most success I've had so far is with vanilla orchids. I'm torn between halting experimentation for the sake of preventing an economic upheaval, and perfecting the mutation before releasing it worldwide. I'd suffer the wrath of Madascar's herbal empire, but making the whole world smell of vanilla might be worth it!"

Kim gave it some thought. "More vanilla would be better than baking puppy potatoes," she reasoned, "But I can't really speak for the economy thing." She turned to the mad scientist. "Listen, I don't think anyone would be comfortable with just leaving you here unsupervised. If you're still doing the job you're supposed to be doing, would you at least allow someone from Global Justice oversee your work?"

Drakken was reluctant. "Mmm... I guess it's better than letting you blow everything up, yet again. And Shego can always kick him out if he gets on my nerves."

"Him, her, them" Shego added as she rose, snatching Rufus and casually tossed him in Ron's direction. "But it's not like we don't have space to spare."

"Fine," Drakken agreed, though still with a frown. "If that's everything?"

Kim and Ron looked at each other. The latter had nothing to add, so he merely shrugged. "I guess that is," Kim decided.

There was an odd tension as they headed back to the hub treehouse together in silence.

"Sooo," Ron voiced what they were all thinking, "I guess I'm not the only one who finds it wierd that there's been no fighting or explosions?"

"We could fix that," Shego immediately offered. Kim opened her mouth to berate the villainess, but Ron beat her to it.

"Oh, no way," he growled, "You are not laying a finger on Kim. You've done enough."

"Heh. Listen to the protective boytoy."

"Shego, stop provoking him," Kim warned her as Ron fumed.

"Afraid he'll pop and I'll have to smack him down?" she asked with her typical snark.

"I'm afraid _he'll_ smack _you_ down."

"Princess, since my vacation, I haven't stolen anything or had a single fight with anyone. I'm at the point where I don't care who smacks who down, I'm up for a ruckus either way."

"Suits me," Ron agreed with conviction as they entered the hub.

"Let's go then!" Shego declared. Before anyone could react, she grabbed Ron around the waist, hoisted him up as if he weighed nothing, and jumped out the window.


	8. Chapter 8: Duel of the Sidekicks

Drakken showed little concern as Shego went out the window with Kim's screaming sidekick in tow. The redhead leapt to the window in time to see Shego sliding down a vine she must have grabbed near the start of the fall, slowing their descent just enough so that when she ungraciously dropped the blond to the ground, he suffered nothing more than having the air knocked out of him. Rufus bounced out of his pocket on the rebound and scampered to the sidelines.

Shego took a few steps away then faced the boy, to see him glaring at her from his half-risen position. "Hands and feet, monkey-boy, not hands and knees," she mocked, "Or are you surrendering to me already?"

Ron was upright the next second and going through his various gestures while making monkey noises. In response, Shego only took an opening stance before leaping forward and attacking.

As Kim watched from above, recognising Shego's moves more often than not, it occurred to her that Ron had not had many opportunities to see how the green girl fought. When he wasn't running from henchman, lasers or spinning tops of doom, he was running interference with Drakken or setting Rufus loose on the nearest doomsday machine. Kim and Shego had developed a combative kind of rapport over the last few years. What was going on at ground level now was reminding the redhead of her first few fights with the green girl. They were feeling each other out.

Kim glanced at Drakken as he walked up beside her, but he seemed only vaguely interested in the proceedings. Perhaps he assumed the outcome of the fight, but Kim got the distinct impression that he was tolerating Shego's need for a diversion before he got back to work.

Ron was in fact starting off well. The few blows Shego managed to land on him were either blocked or deflected, and her temper was obviously fraying. His patience paid off and he took the opening when it presented itself, getting three solid hits on her, the third a crotch kick that knocked her legs out from under her and sent her back a dozen feet before falling facedown.

"Hm," Drakken mused from above, "So _that's_ what she meant when she said he'd stepped up. Not very sportsmanlike, your boyfriend."

"It's a recognised move," Kim argued, though she silently admitted to herself that she'd never expected Ron to actually use it. "Besides, it's Shego. You think she wouldn't stoop so low?"

Drakken's grumbled, wordless response made it seem as if he'd been the recipient of such a move on at least one occasion.

Perhaps Ron expected surprise or frustration on Shego's face as she looked up at him, but what he saw instead inflamed his own anger: an enthusiastic grin.

"So, it really is Tai Shing Pek Kwar," the villainess declared once she had flipped back to her feet. "But you're sloppy. Have you had _any_ training? Do you even know _about_ the style?"

"More than you think, I bet," Ron snarled back as he closed to maintain the offensive. "How much do _you_ know?"

Shego spoke in short bursts as she defended. "Pek Kwar. Ming dynasty. Ma cut wood for a Taoist temple. A priest inspired him to learn how to do it without his axes." A pause as they exchanged a flurry of blows, none hitting their mark. "Tai Shing. Ching dynasty. Kau was imprisoned for eight years. He learned monkey style by watching the monkeys guarding his prison. He taught his friend's son, Kan." Shego caught Ron's hands in her own. "Kan combined the two."

Ron struggled against the girl's superior strength. She was forcing him off balance enough to keep him from kicking, but not enough that he could try flipping her instead. "I was never... much good at... paying attention... in history class."

"You can't know yourself if you don't know where you're from," Shego informed him dispassionately, before her hands ignited.

Ron yanked back immediately from her grip with a strangled cry of surprise, but the glow was not meant to burn and served only to provoke the reaction. Thrown off by his instinctual retreat, the blond had no way to counter Shego's kick to the chest. It was his turn to fly backwards, though he managed to flip and land on his hands and feet before rising.

The preamble was over; the combatants charged each other, the fight beginning in earnest.

Shego had already learned to protect her face, throat and crotch as well as watch out for the more recognisable Axe Fist attacks. Now she was also paying more attention to the moves themselves as her opponent focused on the combat. She'd never had the opportunity to train in any form of traditional monkey kung fu. Now she was learning... though she'd never pay Stoppable the compliment of admitting it.

Ron, meanwhile, was beginning to feel a sense of elation. Shego wasn't trying to kill him like she would have in the old days, but the fact remained that he was holding his own against someone he considered to be one of the most dangerous close combat fighters in the world. Her glowing hands never managed more than glancing hits, and their footwork when he managed to grab her glow-free forearms failed to give either an advantage. Was this how it felt to be Kim during all her fights with Shego?

Kim knew it was, which is how she knew Shego was holding back again._ I should have been more honest when I warned him, _she lamented, even as her respect for her boyfriend's fighting abilities increased. She wondered how he would fare if they sparred against each other, even as she worried about what could happen if either Ron or Shego cut loose.

It was also proving to be a major turn-on. She knew they weren't fighting over her - she'd never want that, anyway, would she? - but her boyfriend and the girl she was crushing on, duking it out? Hot.

_Crushing on?_ Kim repeated the thought, rolling the concept around her mind. _I guess I am. What would Ron think if he knew? He thought she was hot from day one, but the evil put him off. I think. I wonder what he's fantasized..._

"Come on, monkey-boy," Shego grunted as they continued trading blows, "Where's that bright blue glow of yours?"

"No mystical monkey power," Ron hissed in response. "I promised Kim."

"Ugh, why?"

"She's afraid of what I might do."

_To me?_ Shego wondered, caught off-guard. By instinct alone, she quickly sent a green bolt of energy at Ron before he could take advantage. He was forced to dodge, allowing the energy to pass and cut into the ground for several feet behind him. "Guess she's a better person than you," Shego told him with a scornful grin. That earned an angry growl from her opponent as he attacked with fresh vigour.

Now it was Shego playing the waiting game. She had recognised his tactic of maintaining what he thought was the balance until he had a decent opening, but she was betting her patience would outlast his, especially considering all the taunting practice she'd had, battling Kimmie. She also kept him on his toes by turning the glow on and off, something else she'd only done with her nemesis until now... though in that case, it might have been more for the sake of prolonging their duels...

Even as blue flashes began to accompany every contact between the empowered pair, the villainess only kept her glow going, maintaining the balance between them. Her constant smirk, born from the fact that Kim must know what she was doing, only infuriated Ron further. When a dodging leap brought them out of range from each other, he turned blue for a moment as he stomped on the ground with his forward foot.

The crack in the ground that raced toward Shego from Ron's position reminded her of training sessions with her brother Hego, whose blue glow of super strength made him capable of the same form of attack, though the big blue buffoon tended to punch the ground instead. As she used to do then, she did now, leaping with all her strength in a semicurcular arc over her opponent, firing off kinetic blasts all the way. Ron was able to dodge the first few, but once one clipped his shoulder, the rest of the barrage laid him out flat on his back. Shego leapt again, aiming straight for him this time, and he barely managed to roll before her knee landed in his gut.

The green girl was back in charge of the fight, comfortably enough to begin talking again. "Monkey Fist trained long and hard to become a master of Tai Shing Pek Kwar, long before the magic monkey mojo," she snarled at Ron. "So have I, with my own style. Kimmie too, though she's a jack of all trades, master of none." Ron overextended himself, allowing Shego to bat his attack aside, place one foot on his knee and kick him in the face with the other while somersaulting off and out of range. "You just got juiced by monkey magic. You don't _really_ know what you're doing. No wonder it comes and goes..."

Shego recognised Ron's Ki-channeling stance as soon as it began. She was faster. It took barely a second to summon the ball of energy between her hands and launch it straight at him. Despite the blue flash as it struck, he was sent hurtling across the clearing as Kim called his name.

A tree caught him, and he slid down its trunk to land in a crumpled heap atop its roots. He groaned in pain as he struggled to remain conscious, but he was unaware of Shego's approach until her shadow fell across him. He blinked slowly up at her silhouette as she leaned down towards him, fists on hips. "At least you've got two things in your favour," she told him with surprising forthrightness. "You've got a deus ex machina superpower, which you can apparently pull out of your ass when it's _Kimmie's_ ass on the line. And, you fight better than your pet rat. Barely."

Either Ron was still too dazed to form a coherent response, or he simply didn't have one. Shego straightened and shrugged before turning away. "I'll go fetch your girlfriend," she told him dismissively. She kept an ear open, stretching as she walked, but heard nothing to suggest he was going to try and surprise her from behind.

Reaching the tendrils that hung from the main treehouse, she took a firm grip of one and momentarily ignited her glow. It responded by hoisting her up until she could easily scoot into the treehouse itself. "Express to ground level, princess," she told Kim, beckoning with the hand not holding the vine. When the redhead hooked an arm over her shoulders, Shego wrapped an arm around the girl's waist and pushed them both back out the window before giving the vine another soft zap and they began to descend.

Kim blushed at the older woman's smirk, suddenly wishing she wore a bra. Could Shego feel her arousal through her shirt? The scent of the green girl after her workout with Ron wasn't helping matters.

They released each other as soon as their feet hit the ground, and Shego went straight back up without a word as Ron approached.

"See? No Shego launches into space," the blonde tried to joke, though his voice was little more than a pained moan.

"Are you okay?" Kim asked, risking a light hug... and smelling his sweat in turn. For Ron's part, he returned the hug gratefully.

"Just scrapes and bruises... over ninety per cent of my body..." he carefully eased his shoulders back, and something popped. "Ooh. I'm not sure if that's a good sound or a bad one."

"Come on," Kim encouraged him, turning him in the appropriate direction, "We'll head to the beach and signal for pickup from there." Ron only nodded slightly in response, and they headed off together.

"So long, monkey-boy," Shego called down with her customary sarcasm. "Later, sweetie," she added in a rather different tone, causing Kim to look back and see the green girl give her a goodbye wave before the formerly villainous pair retreated into the shadows of the treehouse.

"I thought _I_ was your sweetie," Drakken's petulant voice echoed down.

"Meh, you're my blue sweetie. She's my red sweetie."

Despite her boyfriend's current discomfort, Kim couldn't help smirking at the increased enthusiasm of Shego's latter statement.

The beach was a short walk from the lair - longer at Ron's current pace - but it was beautiful. Even the battered boy whistled at the view, echoed by Rufus who had scampered along beside him the whole way. Kim sat her boyfriend down at the treeline so he'd have some shade before carefully pulling her kimmunicator from its pocket. The molerat chittered at Ron for some assurance of his well-being before hopping onto the sand and rolling around a moment to scratch himself all over, then dig under the surface to escape the harsh sunlight.

Once Kim had signalled the Global Justice jet, she sat beside Ron. "So," he began, sounding more like himself, "How'd I do?"

Kim's smile was wide and enthusiastic. "Honestly? You were amazing! I know you've defeated Monkey Fist more than once, by yourself, but... holding your own against Shego? Way wow-worthy." She paused. "Although... you did tap into-"

"Yeah, I know," Ron cut her short, disappointed with himself on that score, "She kept yanking my chain, just like you said she would, and I kept letting her. But I was in control! You don't have to worry about me, Kim. I just..." he sighed as he struggled a moment to articulate his thinking. "With Monkey Fist, it always seemed like a straight fight. But fighting Shego..."

"It's more like a game of chess," Kim finished. "So maybe you can put your chess club experience to good use before next time. Have some taunts for _her_ prepared."

"Next time, huh?" Ron sounded dubious about the prospect, due to his current aches and pains.

"You've shown me you can keep her busy yourself," she assured him, "And it may not have sounded like it, but I think Shego has more respect for you, now."

"Ya think?" That thought seemed to cheer him up a bit, causing a surprising pang of jealosy in Kim's heart, and she wasn't sure from which 'direction' it came from.

"Just don't try that last thing on her again. She's too fast for it."

"Yeah. Yeah! Whole different game. New rules. Lesson learned. Gotcha, KP." He offered her a warm smile. "Thanks for the pep talk."

"No big. Maybe when we're both back to a hundred per cent, you and I could try sparring." She gave him the cheeky grin that had, until recently, been reserved only for him. "We tussle for a while, get all hot and sweaty..." She snuggled into him, breathing him in again, "Then back to your place, take a shower..."

"Together?" Ron knew where his girlfriend's mind was going.

"Or maybe we don't get as far as the shower..."

"Not much point showering if we're just gonna get all hot and sweaty all over again," Ron agreed.

"In the meantime," Kim continued, leaning her head over to him, "When we get back to Middleton, I'll take good care of you."

Ron leaned his head over to her as well. "Suddenly, letting Shego smack me around doesn't seem so bad."

They made out until the supersonic jet arrived. Ron collected Rufus before they boarded. As the jet lifted off again, Ron pointed something out to Kim: a sunbathing chair on the beach. They hadn't seen it from their position on the ground. "Shego's?" Ron supposed.

"She does like the sun," Kim replied. She blushed slightly, then further still when Ron voiced the very thought she was having.

"Do you think she wears anything?"

She couldn't slap him, so she settled for poking him until he cried for mercy.


	9. Chapter 9: The Next Mission

Kim's final days in Middleton were a mixed bag.

The best news was Monique. While Silver Towers and Washington Square had their charms, the girls had applied for one of the smaller, older apartments parked halfway between the different school buildings they would be attending. Kim had learned, the morning after the mission, that they had attained the student housing they desired. They were going to be flatmates!

The insurance covering the Possible home didn't cover acts of alien invasion, and the fact that it had been the home of a world famous teen hero was probably balanced out by all the damage the tweebs had caused to the residence over the years. The family owned the property, free and clear. A decision had to be made as to whether to build on it from scratch, or sell it and live elsewhere. Thankfully, with the combined income of a rocket scientist and a neurosurgeon, they had some options. When her father asked for her opinion, Kim only stated she would appreciate having a bedroom with a door she could lock when she came home.

James wondered if he could get away with making sure the door would _not_ have a lock, despite the rational portion of his brain insisting she had every right to bedroom privacy at her age. The truth was, he wasn't as afraid of his daughter having sex as he was the potential consequences. There was no way his little girl image of her would withstand a pregnancy. Unexpected or not, he was certain Kim would have the child. That was how they'd raised her, after all. Granted, there was nothing he could do once Kimmie-cub was all the way in New York, except trust her to do the right thing... which sent him right back to the 'all grown up' reality he was in no hurry to face.

Ann took her daughter on a shopping spree to replace her wardrobe, beyond the original emergency shoppage that occurred in the wake of the house's destruction. Kim was grateful that her mother was paying the bills, but it also meant she was too inhibited to try and replace the sexiest items she had owned, even when mom dared to bring it up. It would simply be impossible to wear anything sexy - and do the things wearing sexy clothes could bring about - knowing that her mother had paid for them. They would be... tainted, was the only word she could come up with, though she didn't go into such detail with her embarrassed 'thanks but no thanks'.

Ron still mourned the loss of the little black dress that she had worn during their first almost-date. She had gotten into the habit of wearing it when she was no longer angry with him following an argument, provoking a little moodulator-inspired roleplay: Kim would chase him around the room as he yelled, "Making up is so not easy!" before she caught him and proved she was wearing nothing under the dress. With a boyfriend like Ron, the added zest of make-up sex had been a quick discovery; and with a dress like that on a dominant girl like Kim, it hadn't taken long to discover the 'cowgirl' positions, either.

The lowest layer of epidermis had started growing on her wounds, patches of skin rising from raw red tissue, but that had upgraded the constant itching sensation to constant stinging. It was occasionally enough to make Kim wish she had taken the skin graft option after all, but she always swung back around to her original decision against it. Grafting had been the doctors' preferred choice for third degree burns, but to her it just didn't seem right to take skin from one place just to put it somewhere else. It was somehow more appropriate to let the skin grow back naturally, especially considering the range of motion around the wrists that grafted skin might limit in the long run.

To that end, as soon as she realised new skin was beginning to grow, Kim started exercising the full range of movement of her thumbs, wrists and forearms whenever she was otherwise still. Technically she didn't have to worry about it for another month or two, but she figured it was best to make a habit of it by the time it mattered. She also talked to the doctors about a ball to squeeze, and their suggestion matched Shego's. It left Kim wondering if the villainess ever suffered the same kind of damage, maybe after the comet, or when she was first getting the hang of her powers.

Shego...

Kim found her thoughts turning to the green girl more often than she was comfortable with. The morning after the honesty room incident, Shego had all but admitted that when it came to girls, Kim was her type. It had made her think of the villainess in a whole new way, but she had convinced herself that it was a temporary fascination. She'd only had the one wet dream, after all; the teenager had assumed it was out of her system. There was still a connection between them, but it was not so different from the one that had already grown between them.

The island visit challenged that perception. Kim had gone in expecting a fight, not another heart-to-heart (assuming the term applied). Instead she'd been nothing more than a spectator to the fight, which had riled her up without the physical payoff to accompany it... until later. And _that_ brought up the bizarre concept of fighting and fucking meaning more or less the same thing to her. Kim had originally wondered if kissing Shego had been disloyal to Ron, but she had already been fighting the villainess for several years. Could Shego have ever been disappointed or jealous in the past year?

The worst thing was, after they'd confirmed Ron's parents were at work and not in the house, and she'd asked Ron to be a little rough with her, he'd called her on it! He'd teased her about not getting to fight herself, and started using Shego's nicknames for her! She'd answered with 'buffoon' and 'doofus' until the moment he thrust his entire length into her in one go, and words gave way to the groaning, panting and slap of flesh on flesh that typically accompanied the couple's more vigorous efforts.

Kim had enjoyed it. A lot. As usual. She and Ron had friendship and love and passion, and those were what were important, right? In that order, even. So why this growing obsession with Shego?

The heroine pondered that question as she lay awake in bed the night before the drive to New York. Like everything else, the relationship between heroine and villainess was changing. Kim had even offered friendship, though Shego didn't seem to know what to do with it... and then the boys had interrupted, and then the fight...

_But that's not what's really bothering me, is it,_ Kim admitted to herself. _It's the kiss. _Shego was a physical communicator, but after the kiss she'd returned to words and deflected Kim's experimental flirtations. _Mixed signals, much? Did I read the kiss wrong? Was I simply imagining its intent? _She raised her bandaged arms into the light filtered through the thin curtains drawn across the window. _How can I be infatuated with a girl, a _girl_, who does _this_ to me? _She couldn't see the wounds, but twisted her forearms anyway.

It had taken a lot to get her to a place where she could hate anyone, and if it was to be anyone, it would be Shego. But the guilt afterwards... did she really accept these wounds simply to absolve her guilt? _Shallow and selfish,_ Kim berated herself as she gently let her arms down, _And perhaps I want to... make her feel good, to make up for hurting her so bad. _A sigh as the notion was dismissed. _No, that's not even an issue anymore, is it? We're even. Equal. She's the only one who could ever match me, and she enjoyed it so much she started going easy on me. Even saved my life, more than once, so she could have another crack at me herself._

Kim closed her eyes and tried to recall every time Shego had tried to kill her, every time she had hurt her (or Ron), every time she left them in one of Drakken's death traps. 'If it were me, I'd go for the direct approach,' she once said. _If Drakken had ever told her to just rip my heart out, would she have done it?_

There was nothing wrong with their relationship changing - odds are it would be for the better - but change into what?

Her mind kept going in love-hate circles until she finally fell asleep.

* * *

><p>It had been decided that Monique would fly to New York, so the Possible family van was loaded with most of her stuff as well as Kim's. The black girl was already excited about the impending voyage, speaking animatedly as she shoved her combination of boxes and luggage into the vehicle.<p>

"...And we'll catch fashion week right at the beginning of the semester!" she enthused. "At first I wondered what they were thinking, dropping undergraduates into the thick of things from the start, but I figure they're plannin' to keep us too busy to get tweaked about the whole new situation thing, y'know?"

"Or maybe the fashion industry is that fast-paced and the plan is to weed out the people who can't hack it," Kim teased.

Monique gave everything a final shove to make sure it was as far forward as it would go before stepping back and brushing her hands. "I've got nothin' to worry about on that score, girl. I am pumped. Club Banana's been good for me, and I've been good enough for them to give me a hell of a reference, but I'm _so_ ready to start doing my own thing."

The girls continued chatting until Kim's parents came out of the house, followed by her brothers. "Ready to go, dad?" the heroine asked.

"Actually, your mother and I have been talking, and we've decided that she'll be the one to take you." He had been against the idea at first, not liking the idea of his two favourite redheads in the world going off together without him, but Ann had been able to swing him around. "You two never get enough mother-daughter time, and this way you'll have a medical professional looking after you for a few more days."

"Isn't Ron coming to wave us off?" Ann asked as her husband put her luggage in the van.

"He's working at Smarty-Mart," Kim explained, "But he said he'd come to visit me in New York real soon."

"Of course he did," Ann said with a little smile that automatically made Kim nervous. Monique's giggle didn't help.

I'll see you in a few days, girlfriend," Monique promised her, throwing her arms around her and hugging tightly. Kim did her best to return the gesture.

"You two, try not to get expelled," the younger redhead told the twins, who of course promised nothing, yet didn't complain as much as expected when their sister planted a kiss on both their foreheads.

"Look after yourself, Kimmie-cub," was all James could say when it was his turn. He managed not to cry.

Ann and Kim took turns driving east along the I-70, the latter driving in the middle of the long stretches between cities, where the wheel and gearshift would see minimal use. Once they reached Kansas City and found a place to stay for the night, the pair went out on the town for barbaque ribs. Ann seemed to enjoy wiping the sauce from her daughter's mouth and chin at regular intervals despite the embarrassment factor, declaring that Kansas ribs were supposed to be eaten messily in the first place. Secretly she was encouraged by the fact that Kim was able to hold her own food.

Visits to the Liberty Memorial, Country Club Plaza and Crown Center followed dinner. Kim seemed fond of the fountains at the center, so Ann found a place for them both to sit quietly, before putting an arm behind Kim so her daughter could lean against her shoulder.

"Penny for your thoughts," Ann softly opened with.

"I'm actually enjoying a quiet brain for once," Kim sighed, "But I'm guessing something's on yours?"

"It can wait."

They sat in silence for several more minutes before Kim yawned suddenly. "If we stay here much longer I'm going to fall asleep on the spot. Back to the motel?"

They drove back to their room, changed for bed (treating Kim's wounds in the process) and turned out the lights. Ann was mostly quiet throughout, which did not go unnoticed. Kim was grateful for the darkness as she began. "I never told you how things went when I saw Shego again."

She heard her mother roll onto her side, facing her. "I thought you would if you wanted to," was all she said, though she couldn't keep the curiosity out of her voice.

"We... forgave each other."

"No fighting?" Ann was genuinely surprised.

"Not between us, though I think she wanted to anyway. She's... a very physical girl."

"Sounds familiar." Kim could hear her mother's smile in her voice. "If not between you two, who... oh dear."

"She went easy on him," Kim immediately assured her. "And Ron did better than I expected, really. I think he's really starting to come into his own."

"Well, I'm glad for him. So how _are_ things between you and Shego, now? I saw how well you two got along during that weekend...

"Mom... this is Shego, not _Miss_ Go. We only had a lot in common while her personality was flipped. The real Shego is violent and short-tempered. She steals stuff. She hurts people; including me, repeatedly, over the last four years. She's even..." Kim paused before deciding to say it, "She's killed people," she admitted in a whisper.

Ann's shock was obvious. "Shego's a murdurer?"

"She doesn't think so. She makes a distinction between the two. Manslaughter? Maybe? I know some of it was when she was still a hero. Maybe I've been lucky so far..."

Ann was silent for a long moment. "How often has she tried to kill you?" she finally decided to ask.

Kim had been hoping she wouldn't. "I've lost count."

"But you've always come back in one piece. I know what a skilled fighter you are, but... you said she held back, with her powers, when you fought?"

"Does that even matter?" Kim asked heatedly. "How can I be anything but hostile towards her? How could I... I guess..." Her train of thought led to the simplest conclusion, and she calmed down. "I guess I just don't see things the same way most people do." Again, the teenager paused before ploughing on, believing her mother's advice was more important than her own doubts, "I didn't really think it through first, but I kinda told her we could be... friends."

"That's the kind of person you are, Kimmie," Ann said immediately, "And your father and I are very proud of that. But does _she_ want to be friends?"

"Um... maybe?" Kim was skirting closer to her real problem with Shego than she liked. "She... we have a mutual respect that's been there for a while, now. Noone makes me work harder to win a fight than Shego, and she feels the same way about me. I guess that means more to her..."

"Are you afraid it's only a matter of time before she tries to kill you again? Perhaps without holding back?" Ann couldn't believe she was talking so objectively about her daughter's life, but her first instinct was to try and help Kim think her way through this.

"Not really..." That thought had never actually occurred to Kim. It should have. Why hadn't it? _Going soft, princess? _Shego's voice echoed in her mind, provoking a wry smirk of the redhead's lips.

"You know her much better than I do, honey," Ann decided. "If you think the two of you can be friends, I can only suggest you be cautious. You both have a lot of bumps and bruises to get over, even without the drama."

"Thanks, mom."

"Good night, Kim."

_Friends..._ the heroine rolled the idea around in her mind. They weren't enemies anymore, but friends?

_More than friends?_

Kim suddenly found it difficult to fall asleep, afraid she'd have another wet dream while her mother was in the room.

* * *

><p>Day two ended in St. Louis. Most of the pair's free time was spent in Forest Park, visiting the art and history museums before rounding the evening off with the planetarium. The Gateway Arch was beautiful at night, as they saw on their return to the motel.<p>

During most of the day's drive, Kim had agonised over whether or not to bring up her budding attraction to Shego. Now that they were back in the room, in the dark, she thought of a different way to approach the issue. "Mom?"

"Yes, honey?"

"When you were in college, did you ever... experiment, with... stuff?"

An amused chuckle. "Define 'stuff.'"

"Stuff you wouldn't do back home..." Kim resolved to work her way up to it, "Drink... drugs..." a gulp, "Sex..."

"Been worrying about the urban legends, hm?" Ann stalled as she considered how much to tell her little girl.

"...Yeah."

"You're a sensible girl, Kim, but also an adventurous one. Your father and I trust you to behave, but... I advise against drugs under any circumstances; I've seen what they can do to a mind, let alone a brain. If you choose to experiment with anything, I expect you to be very careful."

That almost sounded like her mother had just given her permission. "So... did you?"

A small sigh. "Yes, dear."

"Um... which..."

"All of the above."

Kim wasn't expecting that. "Really?"

"It's hard to avoid alcohol entirely, even after they raised the age limit in '84. I think they did it because most people could barely recall their sophomore year due to the perpetual drunken haze." There was laughter in Ann's voice during that last phrase. "If you try one glass of one spirit each weekend, you can learn what you like and what you don't, without having to worry about a hangover."

"I've always wondered why some people drink so much when it hurts so much the morning after."

"Those that do tend to have a reason, but sometimes they simply don't notice how much they're drinking until it's too late. As long as you learn moderation, you can enjoy being nicely drunk. You definitely don't want to get too drunk and do anything silly. There was no such thing as a video phone, back in my day."

"And... drugs?"

"I tried marijuana a few times. To be honest, I don't think it ever really did anything for me. Your father, on the other hand..."

"No way!" Kim gasped.

Ann's voice was full of suppressed mirth. "Why do you think he's such a scatterbrain?"

"Oh my god!" They both had a good giggle over that. Once Kim settled down, she asked, "No, um, powders or anything?"

Kim could hear her mother's hair on her pillow as Ann shook her head. "No, never. Drugs are a lot easier to abuse, and the consequences of their abuse, much more dangerous. I watched others take cocaine out of curiousity, but I never joined in." A thoughtful pause. "Imagine your life is a candle. A drug can enhance your senses, but the candle burns brighter in the process..."

"And the brighter it burns, the sooner it burns out," Kim finished.

"Exactly. You've seen the tar that can build up in a smoker's lungs. You don't want to see what drug abuse can do to a brain, and it can also change a person... in far worse ways than your father turned out. I just can't believe it's worth it."

Kim swallowed nervously. "And... sex?"

"Her name was Rachel," Ann admitted with a soft smile.

Kim was surprised by the affection in her voice. "Did... did you love her?" she got out in a rush.

"I suppose I did. Falling in love is different every time. Not just because it's a different person every time, but because you're a different person every time, too."

"So time is a factor," Kim reasoned, realising Shego thought she still had some growing up to do.

"It can be. But I knew your father and I were soulmates from the start."

"What about Rachel?"

"No regrets," Ann told her. "I hope you never have them, either."

And that was all she chose to say on the subject, that night. The discovery that her daughter was attracted to her female nemesis was a shock. Perhaps she should have gone with the threesome story, after all...


	10. Chapter 10: Kurgan Can't Sing

By the time the pair got to Pittsburgh, Kim was mentally getting into gear for New York. They visited more art and history museums, though for some reason the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, with its dinosaur bones and ancient Egyptian artifacts, gave the teenager a bizarre sense of deja vu.

Entering the destination city, the heroine got out her kimmunicator and played Queen's version of New York, New York.

Their first stop was the university's faculty housing office to sign papers, pay the deposit and collect the keys. They went straight to the apartment from there. It was in an old building and smaller than what Kim had seen in Pals, but it was just what she wanted: livable yet unobtrusive. It was New York, after all... how much time was she really going to spend there?

Kim managed to help a little with bringing things in, though her mother insisted on treating her wounds afterwards as an excuse to ensure her daughter hadn't caused any extra damage as a result. After that they went shopping, mostly for kitchen stuff; Ann didn't put up much argument against the quartet of wineglasses Kim saw fit to buy, since she argued that they would be easier to clean without a dishwasher.

Ann countered by buying a bottle of red wine when they moved on to groceries. She also made a point of cooking for Kim and allowing only one glass for each of them, before tucking her into her new bed. Kim acted as if it was corny due to the laws of teenager behaviour, but her eyes showed her appreciation. Not wanting to make use of what would be Monique's bed, Ann curled up on the couch for the night.

The next day, they went to the airport to pick up Monique. Kim could tell she was mad with excitement from the moment she saw her, and it proved infectious. Ann looked on, bemused, as the pair practically squealed for the duration of their greeting.

"Can you believe we're here to stay, girl?" Monique enthused between hugs.

"I'm sure it'll sink in once we start learning stuff on a regular basis, again," Kim giggled.

"No fear of that. This won't be like high school. We get to _enjoy_ learnin' now!" She hugged Kim again. "Oh, I gotta surprise for you," she added.

"What surprise?"

Monique paused with a conspiratorial grin. Kim was about to start needling her when she got a stereo declaration of "Surprise!" from behind her.

"Tweebs?" Kim couldn't believe what she was seeing, then looked up to see who was wheeling their luggage towards them. "Dad! Ron! You're here!"

"Darn straight," James replied. "You didn't think we were going to start your greatest adventure yet without a proper send-off, did you?" The only response he got was a hug from his daughter.

"Do I get one of those?" Ron asked after a moment, and promptly got a kiss in addition to the hug.

While Ann drove the others (and the additional luggage) in the family car, the teens took a cab to pick up Monique's keys from the housing office before heading to the apartment. Kim let her best girl friend use her own keys when they arrived. "I took the bigger bedroom, I hope that's okay," she mentioned as they walked in.

"Actually," Monique replied, "I'm surprised you didn't take the other one for the sake of security. You sure you want the room with two windows?"

"You remember the windows I had in my bedroom back in Middleton, don't you? It's no big. None of my enemies have ever attacked my home directly. They know better," Kim finished threateningly.

"What about the Diablo toys?"

"Uh, technically," Ron offered, "Jim and Tim brought those home."

"We didn't do it!" The tweebs echoed as they ran past. No one was sure if they were inserting their opinion into the conversation, or if they'd already done something to the apartment. The trio paused, but no one was chasing the twins, and there were no explosions.

"Charming little place, Kimmie-cub," James told Kim as the teens joined him and Ann in the kitchen area, which had more chairs than the nearby two-man couch could seat. "Reminds me of our place when we were just starting out."

"Ours only had the one bedroom," Ann reminded him as she leaned against his shoulder, a hand going around his neck to rest on the other. They looked at each other affectionately.

"I'm guessing this was before my time," Kim supposed.

Ann's twinkling eyes turned to her daughter. "Well, it was more couple-oriented than family-oriented, that's true."

"Not that you were never there, so to speak..." James continued.

"...You just hadn't been born yet," Ann finished with a smirk.

"And that's all I need to hear about _that_," Kim hurredly decided, to the amusement of her parents.

"Come to think of it, though..." James turned his suddenly serious gaze on Ron, who gulped compulsively. "Since Kimmie is no longer living under my roof..." his expression softened. "No more black hole, Ronald."

"Oh. Oh! Yeah, uh... thanks, I guess," Ron said lamely, still nervous yet also relieved. It was entirely possible that Mr. Dr. P was oblivious to how 'close' Kim and Ron had become, but with the rocket scientist, one could never be sure.

"Black hole?" Kim asked Ron.

"Oh, uh... just a little man talk, KP. Leave it at that."

Kim noticed the entertained expressions on her parents' faces and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, man talk?"

"Hey, I didn't keep bugging you about waxing your eyebrows, kay? Man talk, it's like girl talk, except... y'know, with guys..."

"I wonder how much waxing your eyebrows would cost in this city," Ann thought aloud, deciding it was time to give Ron a break.

"Oh, it's just an occasional extravagance, mom," Kim told her. "Shego... I mean, Miss Go and I went for it instead of watching the last Bricks of Fury with Ron."

"You two did get along rather well that weekend, didn't you?" Ann said. She noted her daughter's reaction to that simple statement, the slight blush that came with the double-take.

"I told you, her moral poles had been flipped. It wasn't the real Shego."

"So you prefer the one that attacks you on sight," Ann gently teased.

_Oh god, has she figured it out?_ Kim wondered as she stared slack-mouthed at her mother, before she realised she was referring to her wounds. "Well, the good Shego didn't seem to fight as well as the bad... and fighting her is how I know her best... so I guess..."

James chimed in. "I guess it's hard to figure out where you two stand now that she and Drew have been pardoned for their villainous behaviour, after all that alien business."

"Yeah, I'm not sure how long that's gonna last," Ron responded doubtfully.

"What do you mean?" Ann asked.

"Well... I don't know about Drakken, but I think it's only a matter of time before Shego gets back to her usual villainy."

Kim frowned at him. "Ron, most of the time she was working for Drakken. He doesn't need her to steal things anymore; she's mostly a bodyguard now."

"And the only reason she didn't rumble with you last time was because she'd already seriously hurt you!" Ron reasoned. "I bet once you're completely healed, you two will be kung fu fighting all over again."

"Boy's got a point," Monique had to admit.

"Well, maybe," Kim conceded, "But it won't be the same, and... I won't really mind."

"Come again?"

"Monique, you only ever met Miss Go. You've never really seen her in action. Cheerleading helped to keep me in shape, but Shego kept me in fighting trim. She said it herself, I'm better now than she was when we met. I wouldn't mind if we kept... sparring."

"You really think you two can be friends, now?" her father asked.

"I dunno. Maybe," Kim shrugged.

"Time will tell," Ron said, obviously skeptical.

"It usually does," James said in a more upbeat tone. "Now, Kimmie-cub, what say we take a little walk around your new neighbourhood and find ourselves a nice restaurant for dinner? My treat."

"As a college student, I am legally required never to refuse free food," Monique declared with a hand over her heart in mock officiousness.

"I guess that means I can't either," Kim grinned. "Thanks dad."

Kim took a quick look around to make sure nothing would burn the place down while they were gone due to tweeb interference, before they all left together. It was a pleasant enough evening, and Kim and Monique took note of the places they passed that they'd visit during open hours.

They found a place called The Spotted Pig off of Hudson Street with a menu bizarre enough to grab James' interest. Beef tongues and calf livers were among the entrees, but the main courses were slightly more sensible. Conversation was light and humorous throughout the meal. Dessert was mostly cake, some of the flourless chocolate variety, some of walnut, chocolate and amaretto. Everyone but James and the twins ended up tasting the latter; James and Ron shared the cheese plate with the occasional titbit slipped to Rufus as he remained hidden in Ron's pocket.

As they all walked back to the apartment, Ann slowed her pace to match her daughter as she lagged slightly behind the rest of the group. "You okay, Kimmie?"

"Yeah, great," Kim answered with a soft smile. "Just basking in... whatever it is. I don't think I'll ever forget this evening."

"You seemed a little distracted during dinner," her mother had noticed.

"I've just been enjoying this feeling. Good times, family, friends. Content, that's what I feel. I just wish..." she cut herself short with a sigh.

Ann did not miss the slight blush that accompanied the abrupt end. "That she'd been here with us?" the perceptive mother ventured.

Kim was appropriately startled. "Sh-she?"

"Shego," Ann murmured into Kim's ear so the others would not overhear. The teenager's blush deepened. "You've been thinking about her a lot, haven't you?"

Kim was silent for a minute or two as she stared at the ground just in front of her feet. "The first year, it was mostly professional," she finally began, "Then something changed. She was fighting me for her own sake, more than Drakken's. At some point, she became... possessive of me. Saved me from others because I was hers to destroy. And like you said, when she was good, we really got along."

"And yet, after her pardon, she hurt you worse than ever before."

"The honesty room was messing with both of us. I think she restrains herself a lotta the time, and stuff like stealing and fighting are how she lets off steam. The room made it harder not to be true to herself, to restrain herself, and that's why we ended up fighting. She's never held back with the actual fighting, but her powers... if she had ever _really_ cut loose with the glow, she would have killed me, I know that now." She raised her wrists a moment. "This is the consequence of _me_ cutting loose. It's not even a punishment... it's a lesson. One I think I'm still learning from." Kim cleared her throat nervously. "As for... the rest..."

"I'm not a certified psychologist," Ann admitted, "And you know her far better than I do. Just be careful, honey. Remember what I said: no regrets." Kim only nodded with a grateful smile.

Neither redhead noticed Ron during the conversation, so they never knew how much he'd overheard.

* * *

><p>After some tearful farewells, Kim and Monique waved as the crowded car drove off into the night. The former was surprised that Ron had not suggested he stay overnight, but he told her he had things to sort out and would be back after she'd properly settled in.<p>

"One of the better nights," Monique hummed contentedly.

"Absolutely," Kim agreed. "Come on. There's still half a bottle of wine inside, and I say we toast the start of our new adventure right now."

"You don't have to tell me twice."

The next twenty minutes were spent curled up on the couch, sipping wine and planning the week ahead. Some of it was definitely bound to be spent exploring, and they promised to remind each other not to spend their money on anything less than essential until the semester started and they knew what they'd need for their education.

"What?" Kim asked after Monique fell silent.

"We planned it, then we set it up, and now we're here in New York, doin' what we wanna do," Monique sighed happily. "I guess it's sinking in now my mind's windin' down."

Kim pondered for a moment. "You're okay with being here with me, right?"

"Say what?"

"I mean, you're not worried a supervillain will kidnap you to get to me, or an alien war machine is gonna drop on the house and kill us, or anything. Right?"

"What I _am_ is glad I have my BGFF here to share the awesomeness with," Monique declared, and slid across the couch to hug Kim, who returned it gratefully.

It didn't cross her mind in words, during that embrace, that Monique was hot. It was something that Kim had always known but never really noticed before. She squeezed tighter, felt her friend's breasts pressing against her own. "Thanks, Monique," she whispered in her ear, before planting an experimental kiss on her cheek.

Monique giggled. "I think you're drunk, girl."

"No one I feel safer being drunk with," Kim replied. "Shego would probably stick her tongue in my ear to freak me out, then tease me about it."

"She's been on your mind a lot, lately, huh."

"Yeah." The redhead leaned back to look her companion in the eye. "Monique, you've never really said anything about what she did."

"I dunno what to say, girlfriend. Miss Go was so sweet she'd give you tummy ache, so I guess Shego must be pretty freakin' nasty; but the truth is, I just don't know her. I do think it's wierd you're not tweaked about how bad she hurt you, even if it _is_ payback for kickin' her into that tower. I just don't get it..."

"I kicked her so hard the impact collapsed the tower. It fell _on_ her, Monique. She could've died. Anyone else would have..." Kim took a deep breath to keep herself from tearing up. "She used to call me things like princess and cupcake, in the old days. Not after that night. Not until after the invasion."

"Sounds like she started takin' you seriously."

"I made it personal. After that night, no one was allowed to beat me but her. She even saved my life. Twice." That revelation provoked wide-eyed surprise from Monique, but Kim was thinking out loud now, not paying attention. "Then she was pardoned, and we were no longer enemies. We don't know what we are, now." She looked down at her injuries. "The room kinda made her do this, but now we've both been honest with each other... I guess we're free to be whatever we're gonna be."

The teen hero fell silent, but it took her a moment to notice nothing was coming from Monique. The dark-skinned girl was staring at her with an almost amused expression. "What?" Kim asked.

"I'm starting to see why people drink or do drugs. Sounds to me like you had this stuff figured out already, but it took half a bottle of red for you to actually _understand_ it."

Kim gave her a goofy smile. "You're probably right. Fiddling with the brain filters. And since the wine's all gone now, it's probably time for bed; enjoy sleeping 'til noon while we can." She blinked. "Did you ever make your bed?"

Monique facepalmed. "Shoot!"

"C'mon, I'll help," Kim assured her rising to her feet and hooking an arm around one of Moniqu's to pull her upright. They got another laugh out of navigating the apartment despite their wooziness. The bed was made, good nights exchanged, and the redhead retreated to her own room.

_Okay, so Monique's hot,_ Kim thought to herself as she changed for bed. _Her breasts felt nice, kissing her felt nice... but there was no desire, no... lust. Definitely nothing like what I feel when I think of Shego... _Now it was Kim's turn to slap a palm to her forehead, making her wince for banging her injury in the process. _And I've just gone and admitted I'm totally crushing on my nemesis. _Crawling under the covers and turning off the light, she listened to the unfamiliar night noise of the city that never sleeps. She thought back to her fellow cheerleaders in high school, but no erotic feelings ensued. _Is it just Shego?_

Perhaps, like Shego, it took a special girl to get Kim's attention.

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: Yes, the Spotted Pig (and its wacky menu) is real; no, I've never been there, or to NYC. Queen never did a full cover of New York, New York. However, the world Kim Possible lives in is rather idealised, so I decided Queen <em>did<em> do it there. Also, in Kim's world, the original Highlander movie got the quality sound and visual effects it deserved; and there were no crappy sequels, just the series. It got to explore concepts you couldn't cover in a movie, and Adrian Paul did good things with the money he made. Stuff like that makes the world a little brighter for _someone_, so I'm not gonna knock it.


	11. Chapter 11: Pros and Cons

In the days that followed, the girls modified their agreement to allow each other to purchase one extravag**a**nt item, with a price limit. Kim chose a dress she thought Ron would appreciate as a replacement for the lost little black number, and Monique put together an outfit she intended to impress with on her first day of fashion education.

All too soon, the semester began. Even Kim found the first day nerve-wracking, but she got through it in one piece. The first thing both girls noticed was the difference in atmosphere. Perhaps it was the lack of Mr. Barkin, but college education instilled a sense of personal freedom and interaction that had been lacking in high school. No one told them to calm down or listen up, and it soon became apparent that such instruction was unnecessary. _Amazing what happens when education is no longer compulsory,_ Kim marvelled.

The heroine attended the cheerleader informational meeting at the Coles Sports Center when the time came, and approached the coach afterwards.

"Kim Possible?" he asked, recognising the girl. "I had no idea you were coming to NYU, it's a pleasure to meet you! You've probably heard it already, but thank you for defeating that flesh-beast thing in the sewers last year."

"No big," Kim told him. "I was lucky the tanker truck was there to be used as a flamethrower; and it was the fire department that went into the sewers to finish that thing off. I don't suppose anyone ever found out where it came from?"

"If they did, they haven't told the public; on the other hand, this _is_ New York. Anyway, planning to try out? I know you were a cheerleader in high school, but I don't know the specifics."

"Actually I captained the squad for most of my high school years, but that's not what I wanted to see you about." Kim raised her bandaged extremities. "I'm currently recovering from burn injuries, so I'm in no condition for tryouts right now. I'm doing my best to maintain my full range of motion, so I hope to try out at some point..."

"And you'd like a do-over. It'll be up to the entire team since you'll most likely be cutting into their practice time, but I doubt there'll be much argument. You are aware you'll be working against a higher standard compared to high school?" The redhead nodded. The coach continued, "And we'll need you to be very sure you can handle it. I can't let you risk tearing new skin or anything. Medical insurance, paperwork and all that."

"Not a problem," Kim assured him, so he gave her his contact information and told her she could sit in during tryouts and team practice in the future.

It wasn't until she was leaving the center that she was confronted with a familiar voice. "I guess it was too much to hope graduation was the last time I'd ever see you."

"Bonnie?" Kim turned to see the tanned brunette leaning against the wall by the doors with a grimace of distaste. "You're at NYU too?

"Steinhardt," the brunette specified.

"Still dancing, then?"

"Learning how to teach it, actually."

Kim paused as the shock wore off. "Well, that's... great? I remember you were awesome at ballet. Gonna try out for cheerleading too?"

"Duh!" Bonnie stepped forward as she noticed Kim's hands. "Doesn't look like you will, though. What happened, your wrists couldn't take the extra weight?" she asked snarkily, falling into the old habit.

"Third degree burns, Bonnie," Kim growled. "I'll get to try out when I've finished _regrowing my skin_."

Her high school rival showed no sympathy. "So doing your 'hero' thing finally caught up to you, huh? It was only a matter of time, you know."

The redhead drew breath to retort, then exhaled slowly before her temper rose further. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you'd be in Europe, tanning by the pool with Junior."

"Ugh, my mom didn't give me a choice after that stupid summer school thing. At least I'm living out of a penthouse by the park. I'd hate to be stuck in the dorms like you."

"Monique and I are sharing a house, actually."

"So your biggest fan is now living under the same roof? Has she found the nearest Bueno Nacho yet? I'd hate to share _that_ bathroom."

Kim almost rose to the bait again, seethed a moment, then abruptly took a step back. "This isn't high school, B. Most people are here because they _want_ to learn, and I'm not surprised the same isn't true of you. So don't expect your attitude to get you far. I'd hoped you'd mellow out once you were away from your sisters, but you're still a total Bonnie."

She turned on her heel and walked away before she caught Bonnie's surprised reaction.

Monique had a good laugh about it when Kim related the encounter, and consoled Kim for the prospect of continued interaction with the girl who made her high school life as miserable as she could. If history was any judge, the redhead wouldn't have much trouble topping the brunette, even after recovering from her injuries... which Kim was now able to treat herself, though the bandaging was still tricky. Monique helped with that when she was there. Kim was encouraged by the increased self-sufficiency, as well as the fact that enough new skin had risen to make her wounds look downright splotchy.

Over the next few weeks, Bonnie ignored Kim completely when she observed tryouts and practice. For her part, Kim downplayed her celebrity status as much as she could. Even when the team had become used to her presence, she was sure some of the girls were sneaking looks at her when time allowed, and the heroine found herself wondering just what those girls were thinking when they did.

As she walked home one evening, Kim started concocting sexual scenarios about when she joined - and started showering with - the squad. Unlike her previous imaginings of the high school team, it was doing something for her; so she was feeling fairly frisky when she returned home to find Ron chatting with Monique on the couch, while Rufus was happily munching away in a bowl of snackage on the coffee table. Monique gave Kim a wink as the couple embraced before making her excuses and going out for a few hours. Ron was being dragged to the bedroom even as the front door closed.

Kim was entirely in charge of the encounter. She wanted to feel Ron's hands and mouth all over her naked body, and he spent half an hour fulfilling her wish before his girlfriend pulled down his pants in a sudden hungry rush to reciprocate his current efforts. From there she was in an ideal position to roll the condom onto his hard, wet manhood. She managed to swing around easily enough using elbows instead of hands, and he considerately guided himself into her as she lowered herself, until he was buried to the hilt inside her.

At first she remained upright, riding him slow and strong, enjoying the feel of him inside her. It didn't take long, however, before she fell forward to kiss him with renewed intensity. His hands moving from her thighs to her breasts, her clitoris against his pelvic bone, she was soon compelled to break the passionate makeout and begin thrusting down on him, harder and faster, their hot breath in each others' faces until she flung her head back as the first wave of her climax engulfed her. She felt him buck beneath her as he joined her in ecstasy, both of them spasming until she collapsed upon him.

_Take that, fantasy-Shego,_ Kim thought once she'd recovered sufficiently to think in words, and giggled. "I needed that!" she declared aloud before Ron questioned her.

"Looks like," the blond admitted as he wrapped his arms around her. "I hope your neighbours are cool with it. You were noisy!"

"This is what happens when you try to starve me," she scolded him.

"Yeah, well... like I said, things to do."

The odd tone of Ron's voice did not go unnoticed. "Did you ask Mr. Smarty for the transfer?" the redhead asked.

A significant pause before he answered. "No. No, I didn't," he finally admitted. Kim shifted to look him eye to eye. "I didn't think this would be the best time to talk about it, but... you asked..." he continued nervously.

"Rooon?"

"Maybe we should, um-" he squirmed a bit, still technically inside her though he was currently spent.

"Ron!"

"Okay, okay!" He gave a resigned sigh and relaxed. "I've been doing a lot of thinking, lately..." he looked up and watched the girl's eyebrow rise. "...Yeah, don't do that KP. I'm serious."

Kim blinked as she took in his serious face, and her irritation gave way to a nervousness of her own. "Sorry..."

"S'okay. Look... Smartymart has been great, apart from making me spend more time with Mr. Barkin than the law should allow. It's given me experience, the occasional adventure, enough scratch to show my gorgeous girlfriend a good time, now and then..." They both knew he was buttering her up with that remark, but he continued regardless. "But high school's over. We've graduated, and you're tuning down the hero thing while you're here because you want to make more of yourself than you are now." Another breath. "So do I."

"How?" Kim asked as neutrally as she could.

"Well... I could go to Hollywood and get my foot in the door of prosthetics. Or I could go to Ottawa, or even Paris, and try the cord-on-blew chef thing. But... those are just things I could do. They're not who or what I am. And what I am... is the master of mystical monkey power."

This time Kim couldn't keep the emotion out of her voice. "You... you want to go to Japan?"

"Yeah... yes. I do."

Ron had to reach down fast and snatch the condom before Kim took it with her as she pulled herself off of him to sit on the edge of the bed. "Y-you're breaking up with me?"

"What? No!" Ron sat up in a rush and suffered a moment of dizziness before managing to put a hand on Kim's shoulder.. "No no no. I meant what I said, when I said I couldn't live without you."

"Ron, you're moving to a whole other continent!"

"Well... yeah... but it won't be so bad. Especially while you have Monique with you, and that'll be at least a year, right?"

"Huh?"

"I'm not leaving you_ alone_, Kim. And if you do go on missions, ones I can't reach you in time for, _she_ can watch your back instead. I dunno why, but I get the feeling she can pull it off."

"Yeah... yeah, I get it," Kim muttered, anger now reaching the forefront of her reactions. "You graduated from sidekick to superhero. You deserve to get out of my shadow."

"What? No!" Ron's hand left her shoulder as he gestured emphatically in the negative. "That's not what I'm saying!"

"You're stronger, I'm weaker, remember?" Kim growled.

Now the blond frowned. "Oh, so now you're throwing that back in my face? Kim-ness alert..."

During major arguments, they had developed a system by which any mention of Kim-ness or Ron-ness meant a timeout. They both sat in silence for a couple of minutes, calming down and thinking things over.

"I..." Kim tried to begin, "I just can't see how we can be together if we're not... together."

"I know," Ron actually agreed, " But I don't want to break up." He paused as he considered something else. "On the other hand, I don't want to be unfair about this either, so... not broken up, just... on a break?"

Kim snorted. "So now you're giving me permission to go fuck whoever I want? And vice versa, I suppose. Won't Yori be pleased."

"Yori's too honorable to do that," Ron declared with a surprising amount of vehemence, forcing Kim too look at him in surprise. "I admit I'd be tempted, but I wouldn't take advantage of that. And I'd expect the same of you. Don't go bed-hopping just because I'm not around to scratch your itch." He grimaced suddenly. "Uh, you know what I mean."

"Then what_ are _you saying?" Kim asked.

Ron had the sense to think it through first, this time. "You're gonna meet new people here, make new friends, and you might even care about some of them enough that you... want to be closer to them. If that happens, I'm okay with it. However far you choose to take it. Just..." And at this point, Ron's old insecure self made itself known for a moment, "Don't fall madly in love with anyone else while I'm gone, okay?"

Kim couldn't decide what to think or feel. "We'd better get dressed before Monique gets back," she muttered, deciding to get into her sleepwear while Ron snagged his clothes from the floor.

The blond tried to relieve the tension. "And if you end up doing anything with Monique, I want pictures."

"We're not like that, Ron," Kim deadpanned.

"I'm just saying," he offered with a smile before it was lost in his shirt.

Kim watched him dress a moment. "You wouldn't mind me being with girls?" she chose to ask.

"I'd prefer it to you being with boys," he admitted wholeheartedly. "Especially if there are pictures. Or a video. Or at least a detailed description when we both get back to Middleton for the holidays."

The redhead rolled her eyes. "Shego was right. Men are dogs."

"...She referred to me as a man? Wow."

That finally won a smirk from Kim, which she immediately regretted. The pained look on her face returned. "Give me one good reason why you need to go back to Yamanouchi."

Ron didn't hesitate. "Lorwardia."

The heroine didn't expect that. "What?"

"KP, _two_ aliens on _one_ ship conquered the world in ten minutes flat. There's a whole planet of them out there somewhere. Probably with an entire spacefleet. Maybe more than one. And Warhok claimed to be the most powerful warrior in the galaxy. Even if he wasn't just boasting, someone out there might be wondering what happened to him. And Warmonga might not be the only one looking for the Great Blue. Who might show up themselves, someday." He shrugged. "We just don't know. We don't know what else is out there, but the molerat's officially out of the pocket, now.

"Truth is, I've been thinking about this for a while, but fighting Shego was my wake-up call. It's not just about the power, it's about me. I want... I _need_ to be worthy of this responsibility. So I'll be ready for whatever comes." The blond looked Kim in the eye. "This is something I have to do."

"Ron... I'm sure the world's governments, countless agencies, are reverse engineering the alien tech, coming up with defences, countermeasures..."

"Would that stop you?" Ron asked softly, but firmly.

Kim stared at him for a long moment, then picked up the handheld version of her kimmunicator on her bedside table and signalled the genius who invented it. "Wade, I'm giving this kimmunicator to Ron. Can you set up a direct link between this one and my wrist one?"

Wade's image nodded. "I'll start writing the software now. I should have it uploaded to both units by lunchtime tomorrow."

"Thanks Wade," Kim said before thumbing the control to kill the connection. She handed the Kimmunicator to Ron. "I understand," she told him. "I don't like it... but I get it." She didn't say they'd still be best friends forever, no matter what. At just that moment, it didn't feel likely.

They hugged and didn't let go for a long time. And they cried a little, quietly.

Perhaps a break wasn't a break-up, but Kim's heart couldn't tell the difference.


	12. Chapter 12: Another Rebound?

Kim started changing the bedsheets as soon as Ron left to collect Rufus from the living room. She paused only when the front door opened and Monique's voice announced her return. The redhead cocked an ear at the quiet conversation that followed until the exclamation of, "Say what!?"

The heroine didn't bother listening to what came after; in fact she was so focused on what she was doing, she jumped when the front door slammed shut. Next thing she knew, her flatmate was tapping at her bedroom door. "I'll be out in a minute, Monique," was all Kim said as she tucked the final corner of the clean bedsheet under the mattress.

She was true to her word, and her best girl friend tracked her from the couch as she carried the dirty bedsheets from bedroom to kitchen. "You wanna talk, girl?"

Kim considered as she rammed the bedsheets into the washing machine that occupied the spot for the dishwasher. "Not so much," she decided.

"Can't decide whether to laugh or cry?"

"I'm just... coasting. Hasn't sunk in yet, I guess." Kim joined Monique on the couch, drawing up her knees and wrapping her arms around her legs. "You know, it's not so much what he did, as how he did it... which I guess is typical for Ron."

"Oh no," Monique groaned, "Don't tell me that man-child actually said..."

"A break, not a break-_up_," the redhead confirmed.

"And you think...?"

"_So_ broken up," Kim huffed disconsolately, dropping her face behind her knees.

She felt rather than heard Monique slide over to wrap her own arms around her, and spent the next few minutes crying and snuffling, or screaming into her own lap as her anger came to the fore. Her flatmate didn't let go until it was all over. "That boy needs to grow up," she said once she returned with a box of tissues.

A sadly amused bark escaped Kim's throat. "That's kinda what he's trying to do."

Monique was nonplussed. "By moving to Japan."

"Yeah. And I get it, I know why he's doing it... but it doesn't make it any easier."

Her friend snorted. "Not for you."

"True," Kim sighed, "The irony is, one of the schools that accepted me was in Tokyo." She paused to blow her nose. "He'd been thinking about it for a while, but he never told me. I don't think he made up his mind until our last mission. I wish he'd said _something_ before springing this on me..."

Sensing it was time for a change of topic, Monique asked, "So, you goin' solo for missions, from now on?" She knew Kim was cutting back on the world-save-age during their college years, but that just meant being more selective on which missions to take. Wade was to redirect villain-foiling to Global Justice and leave the more 'natural' disasters to the appropriate organisations, unless Kim's skills were absolutely required.

"You could always come with me," Kim suggested with as sincere a smile as the circumstances permitted.

Monique's eyes widened in surprise at the suggestion. "Me? Kim... I'm not sure I can..."

"No better time to give it a try. We can do stuff I never did with Ron... fitness evaluation, maybe sign you up to a martial arts class..."

"Woah, girlfriend. Look, I'm not the adrenaline junkie you are. My favourite hobby is shopping. I mean, I always figured the only way _he_," Monique jerked a thumb in the direction of the front door, "Was able to keep up with you was through the power of sheer ignorance."

"Monique, even climbing a high wall would make him nervous, but he always had my back when it mattered."

"But-"

"We can practice all sorts of stuff at the gym," the redhead rambled on, her mouth gaining steam as the idea took root in her mind, "And the sports center... the Astoria has a thirty foot climbing wall... we could even spend a weekend on Long Island sometime, for surfing and waterskiing. It'd be fun!"

Monique considered the probability that it would take the kind of activities Kim had in mind to help her work through her current funk. "Well... fun sounds fun," she decided with a shrug, a brief smile before hurredly adding, "Not that I'm approving the sidekick thing, but... we'll see how it goes." _Now'd be a bad time for missions, anyhow,_ she added silently, even as she was tackle-hugged by the appreciative heroine.

When they both had free time, the girls went to the New York University gym. Kim's fitness had suffered due to her recent inactivity, but she was still in better shape than Monique. It became a running joke that day, the difference between them being compared to the difference between icecream and a milkshake. It seemed apt to both of them. Kim's lithe frame was more muscle than anything, granting her a solid physical presence that made her seem more 'real' than most; while Monique's curves were both fuller and softer, a more generous mix of fat and muscle that gave her a far more svelte appearance.

That was something Kim had been noticing, lately. The shape of Monique's body reminded her of Shego. And the college cheerleaders were also more filled out than in high school. It wasn't something she had really thought about on a conscious level before, but now she was noticing all kinds of things that used to be 'under the surface.' It didn't take long to work out why; her psychology course was all about the motivations behind various behaviours, and it was teaching her to look at everything in a new, more comprehensive, way.

In retrospect, she shouldn't have been surprised to come home about a month later to find Shego lounging on the couch, filing her claws.

"What the hell are you doing here?" the redhead asked with the requisite shock.

"Visiting," Shego stated the obvious with practiced nonchalance. "Friends do that... right?"

"Friends call first," Kim huffed, "And they don't break into their friend's house."

"Oh, I didn't break a thing. Your security system was out of date long before _either_ of us got here." The villainess tucked the nail file into the sleeve of her glove. "You should probably do something about that. Have your computer kid swing some upgrades, or whatever."

"How did you know where I lived? I asked the school to use-"

"Fake names on the paperwork don't stop someone who knows what you look like from tracking you down. I knew what you were learning and where, all I had to do was keep an eye open."

"You've been_ tailing _me?" Kim yelled, before a thought struck her. "Um... why didn't you just walk up and say hi?"

Shego opened her mouth, paused as she thought it over, then rolled her eyes. "Habit?" she hazarded before shrugging.

"And just how long have you been stalking me?" the redhead asked in a tone of voice that most people would take as a warning.

Most people. Not Shego. "Oh, nearly since the beginning, pumpkin," she bragged with a wicked smirk. "Every time you foiled a plan or blew up a lair, I'd be outside your bedroom window that very night, making faces at you while you slept." She demonstrated by plugging her thumbs into her ears while waving her fingers, crossing her eyes and blowing a rasberry in the redhead's direction.

Now it was Kim's turn to roll her eyes. "Yeah, right." She dumped her books on the table and went to get some juice from the fridge.

"Oh yes," the green girl continued as she swivelled around and lay across the couch, "Many a night I had to resist the urge to slip into your bedroom and find some amusing way to mess with your head. You'll never know how many times you nearly woke up without your precious Pandaroo..."

The carton of juice hit the floor and started pouring its contents across the linoleum. Shego snickered as she heard her nemesis curse. She wasn't supposed to cause the world any more chaos, so she had to take the opportunity when these smaller pleasures presented themselves. The villainess waited while Kim cleaned up, poured her glass of juice, returned to the couch and frowned down at her.

Shego smirked right back. "You brought it with you, didn't you. In your bedroom right now?"

Kim loomed over her and growled, "No touchy my Pandaroo." Shego smirked and pulled her legs back for the redhead to sit, then promptly extended them back across the teenager's lap once she'd settled. "What are you even doing here?" the heroine sighed. "In New York, I mean, away from your own personal beach, and everything."

"Ran out of sunblock."

Kim snorted at that.

"And I got sick of it, to be honest," Shego admitted with a sigh. "I'd already done plenty of sunbathing during my post-alien-invasion vacation... and while having the beach to myself was an improvement, the view sucked."

"No it didn't!" Kim contradicted. It had looked like paradise when she had been there.

"I mean the _men_, Kimmie. I thought, at the very least, Global Justice would send some nice fit men in uniform. Only one wasn't a scientist, and he was almost as young and scrawny as you. Then Drakken and the eggheads ramped up the geekfest and... well, I just got sick of it. So I stole Agent Dufus' hoverjet and came to see how you were doing. Happy?"

Kim tapped her fingers on Shego's knee as she mulled it over before grinning. "I suppose." She watched Shego roll her eyes again before adding, "It is nice to know you were thinking about me. Thank you."

"So, uh... how are you?" the green girl asked. The question coming from her sounded unnatural compared to Kim's thanks, but the heroine went with it as sincerely as she could.

"Settled in nicely. I'm sharing this place with Monique... from Club Banana, remember? I'm learning stuff that I'm actually interested in, enjoying the college atmosphere, exploring the 'hood and, well, enjoying the new kind of adventure." She finished the juice she'd taken the opportunity to drink most of during Shego's exposition, and set the glass on the table... which was when she saw what her guest was looking at. "And you meant the burns, didn't you," she added lamely.

"Well, yeah. But it's, uh, good to hear the other stuff is going well." The villainess frowned at her own hesitancy.

"I'm _fine_, Shego. The skin is growing back now, but it still looks gross and splotchy. Eventually it'll all even out and just look... untanned. The only scarring will be along the edges, between the old and new skin. I've been doing all the motion exercises so it won't be a problem. I'm even planning to get back into cheerleading."

That notion raised a dark eyebrow. "What are the outfits like?"

"Less revealing around the midriff than the Middleton High uniforms, for some reason."

"Mm-hm."

Kim didn't trust that tone in the slightest. "What?"

"Well... you were the captain, right?"

"Yeah."

"So the outfit design was up to you?"

"Pretty much."

Shego stared at the redhead as she failed to get the point. "Don't you think it means something? That maybe you wanted to see girls in the skimpiest-"

"Shego!" Kim interrupted as she realised where the villainess was going. "No! No, that wasn't... I didn't even think about girls like that back then!"

_So, you do now?_ "Maybe not on a conscious level..."

"No," the redhead insisted firmy.

"Never snuck a look in the changing room, or anything."

Kim's voice caught in her throat when she tried to reply, knew Shego had caught it, and came clean. "Yes, I'd peek, but not for that. For... comparison." Now she was starting to blush.

"Heh. Wanna know why I started calling you cupcake?"

"Why?"

"Look down. You've got two of 'em."

Kim had looked down, then huffed indignantly, crossing her arms and fuming silently, much to her guest's amusement. Then she made the connection. "You've been thinking about my tits for that long, have you?" she asked suddenly.

Shego didn't show her surprise at the word 'tits' passing between the lips of Miss Priss. "Your bubblebutt too, since that day on the train." Kim hadn't expected such a frank response, and felt the heat in her cheeks rising further in response to Shego's seductive tone. "Me, I'm glad I've got this hourglass figure," and the teenager couldn't help but watch as the clawed gloves caressed the green girl's curves, "But I know I'd need to bulk up if it wasn't for my extra strength; and I mean _bulk_, not like the hard little body you've got."

The redhead swallowed, feeling her self-control start to slip. "So, you... like my body?"

"I do." One of the legs in her lap rose up and over her, sliding down behind until the knee was exerting a soft pressure in the small of her back. "I'm sure it tastes sweet," Shego added with a devilish smile. Not a smirk, an outright smile.

That statement and smile, the confirmation of Kim's recent suspicions, sent a new flush of heat through her body, this time in the opposite direction from her face. Shego wanted her. Wanted to taste her. The notion was intoxicating, and sent a shiver through her that the green girl no doubt noticed. "I won't let you..." Kim managed to whisper.

"Why not?" Shego purred.

"Because you're evil, and rude, and mean, and-"

"And you wouldn't have me any other way." When the heroine shook her head, the villainess used the grip her legs had around the teenager to sit up, then nibbled her ear before whispering into it. "Would you rather I play nice? Join the team, be a hero again? How long before we'd be jonesing for another good fight? Don't you miss it already?" Another nip of the earlobe. "You _want_ the bad girl, princess. Someone who will _fuck_ you, hurt you_ just _enough to enjoy it, call you a slut and a whore while making you come harder than you ever have before."

"I thought you didn't really want to do this," Kim managed to exhale.

"Hmm," Shego murmured, "Maybe I still feel like I owe you, and making you feel the _other_ way will balance the scales..."

The green girl's lips and teeth moved from Kim's ear down her neck, and the redhead was finding it difficult to keep the event Shego was referring to in mind... or anything other than the sensation of Shego's mouth on her skin. The older woman's teeth bit suddenly, eliciting a gasp, that evolved into a moan as the tip of Shego's tongue explored the mark she had just made.

The increasing passion with which Shego was kissing and sucking on her neck was having its intended effect. Kim's breathing became deep and ragged as she leaned into Shego's efforts, cheek to cheek, breathing in the scent of the almost-green hair. From there, it wasn't a leap to desire the hot, wet sensation on her neck elsewhere. The villainess didn't resist as the teenager leaned against her until she was on her back once more, rotating her hips to open the green girl's legs and lay flat upon her.

Kim stared down into expectant dark green eyes until she couldn't stand the lack of contact anymore. Her lips crashed down on Shego's, forcing her tongue between them to seek the matching muscle within. She whimpered into that mouth as clawed hands squeezed her ass, before one of them made its way up into her hair, occasionally tugging at it one direction or another as the makeout intensified.

For a while, all sense of time was lost... until Kim recognised the sound of Monique's key entering the lock of the front door.


End file.
